


Animal Instinct

by steelheartsaviour



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alpha Females, Alpha Male, F/M, Instant Attraction, Mention of Character Major Character death later in fic, Multiple Pov, Shifters, Werewolves, Wolf Shifters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:56:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steelheartsaviour/pseuds/steelheartsaviour
Summary: Bellamy Blake is Alpha of the Prometheus Pack of wolf shifters. He has enough on his plate and does not need any problems or distractions. Unfortunately, that is precisely what he gets when Clarke Griffin, lone wolf and former "princess" of the shifter world is forced to join his pack. Now Bellamy has to deal with her, which is made that much harder (pun intended) by the fact that all he can think about is how much he wants her.Clarke Griffin has been a lone wolf for years. That is what she is used to. Despite it being a hard life, she didn't want to rejoin a pack. But here she is a member of the Prometheus Pack, even if it is just temporarily. She expected it to be a difficult transition. What she didn't expect was to have to fight a forceful attraction to her new Alpha: Bellamy Blake.How will these two dominant wolves deal with the fact that the longer they are around each other, the harder it is to imagine ever being apart?





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> This stories set up is based on Suzanne Wright's shifter series (The Pheonix Pack). I am tweaking it slightly to better fit the characters from the 100. However later in the fic, there will be some smut featuring AlphaMale sex scenes. If that is not your thing, avoid. I also made Bellamy/Clarke more jealous/territorial to fit the animal side of being a shifter. 
> 
> This fic has been really fun to write, and yes, it is total wish fulfillment, but I am not sorry. Please let me know if you like it! I appreciate feed back! (UnBetaed because I wrote this at work...)

Bellamy Blake growled as he listened to the man speaking on the other end of the phone. He hated when people asked for favors, especially when those favors put his pack in danger. Even more so, Bellamy hated favors that he could not refuse.

"Bellamy," Marcus Kane's smooth voice said. "She has nowhere else to go. It won't be forever, just until I can fix this with the council."

Bellamy liked Marcus. He saw Marcus as a mentor. When he took over as Alpha of the Prometheus Pack, Marcus offered guidance and helped Bellamy stabilize. So yeah, this favor was owed, but that didn't mean Bellamy had to like the situation.

"My pack does not need a liability right now, Marcus," Bellamy said. The pack was finally recovering from its previous reputation. Taking in a lone wolf, let alone one in trouble with the council, was risky. If this went badly, it would be on Bellamy and his pack.

"She is my Chosen's daughter," Marcus said. Bellamy took in a deep breath and ran his hand through his curls. Dammit. This changed things. Bellamy considered Marcus family, more importantly, Bellamy's wolf considered Marcus family, and a wolf never turned its back on family.

"What's the lone wolf's name?" Bellamy asked. "I will tell Raven the pack is welcoming a new addition." There was a hesitation on the other end of the phone that made Bellamy uneasy.

"Clarke Griffin," Marcus said. Bellamy let out a stream of curses. Marcus duped him; he had Bellamy agree first because he knew that if Bellamy knew the Griffin's were involved, there was no way he’d give this situation a chance.

"You are imprinting with a Griffin?" The question came out as an accusation. The Griffin's were one of the most powerful shifter families in North America. That kind of power was nothing but trouble for nobody wolf packs like the Prometheus Pack.

"Dammit, Bellamy," Marcus said, Bellamy could feel the growl in his mentor’s voice. "If Clarke doesn't join a pack, the council is threatening to hunt her down. You know what the punishment for disobeying a council order is." If there was one thing that Bellamy hated more than privileged shifter families, it was when the council forced their will on shifters. There was no justice in their rulings. Bellamy knew of quite a few wolves who the council executed for no reason other than the individual had a mind of their own.

"And she won't rejoin the Arkadia pack?" Bellamy asked. It was a last-ditch effort to avoid this situation.

"No," Marcus said, the tone of his voice left no room for compromise. "She'd rather die." Bellamy took a deep breath.

"I'll take the princess," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "But Marcus, fix this fast. Any problems and the council can have her." Then he disconnected without waiting for a response.

****

Bellamy paced in the front room of the Pack house. The room was too big, and Bellamy was too rattled to be still. Although he'd lived in the converted industrial warehouse turned modern mansion for years, when he was stressed Bellamy still craved the comfort of the small cramped house his family lived in when he was young.

The big house he stood in now housed the main portion of his pack. Some of the mated pairs lived in other converted buildings on the property. All were magnificently redesigned, to the point that no one would realize they had once been industrial storage. Usually, Bellamy was proud of the space he'd created for his pack. Today he looked around the room with a scowl on his face. A bitter thought remained in his mind all morning; this probably wouldn't be good enough for a Griffin.

Bellamy, his beta Raven, and his head enforcer Miller waited for Clarke Griffin's arrival.  
For two weeks, Bellamy hadn't heard anything from Marcus. He began to hope that his friend had found another solution, but Bellamy wasn't that lucky. Yesterday Bellamy received a text that only said: She'll arrive tomorrow, 6 p.m.

"Calm down Bellamy," Raven said, with a perfected role of her eyes. "I told you, Clarke is good people." Raven's statement did nothing to sooth Bellamy's apprehension. Normally, Raven's opinion held the highest regard in Bellamy's mind. She had been in his pack since before he'd been Alpha. He trusted her instincts. But this was different.

Bellamy met the Griffin's once. His old Alpha sent him to the Council to appeal for more territory. Back in those days, Abby Griffin had been on the council, and her husband was the Alpha of the Arkadia pack. Jake Griffin was friendly enough, even asked Bellamy some questions about his ambitions; instead of dismissing him as some pup like the rest of the wolves had. Abby Griffin was a different story. Bellamy didn't see how Marcus could consider imprinting with her now. The woman had been cold, calculating, and dismissive. Everything privileged shifter families represented.

Bellamy even remembered seeing Clarke, briefly. She must have been around ten years old at the time. All he remembered was a chubby little girl snarling at him across the room. At 16, Bellamy wasn't supposed to let the opinions of children bother him, after all, he was a man by shifter standards. However, he distinctly remembered feeling offended by her glare. His wolf was even more agitated at her disdain. He later chalked the entire experience up to the problematic nature of powerful shifter families. They tended to forget packs existed outside their privileged world and resented the less privileged when they were forced to interact.

Bellamy didn't know what to expect from Clarke Griffin today. In his head, he had imagined a taller version of the brat he'd encountered all those years ago. That expectation did not prepare him for the woman that walked in his front door. Flanked by Murphy, a pack enforced, walked in the sexiest woman Bellamy had ever seen.

Curves. The woman in front of him was the personification of the word curves. And she knew it. Everything she wore accented the fact that she had the shape of a goddess. Her jeans were so tight they looked painted on, and her tank top accentuated her ample chest. The result was a fucking masterpiece of temptation. An image of Bellamy's hand fisted in her crop of blonde waves flashed into his mind. The image vanished in an instant, but the errant thought made him uncomfortable. What made him even more uncomfortable was his wolf. The damn thing was practically panting over Clarke. _Clarke Griffin _. The stupid animal was urging Bellamy forward, begging him to touch her. Feel her. And damned if Bellamy didn't want to comply. He'd never experienced this kind of instant attraction. At least not to this degree. The only thing that stopped Bellamy from gaping like an idiot was the look of pure disinterest that glared back at him.__

His Beta jumped up and crossed the room to Clarke, enveloping her in a big hug.

"Griffin," Raven said. "It has been too long you rouge freak." That was about as sentimental as Raven got. Clarke obviously knew that because her face changed into a big smile. For some reason, that smile caused Bellamy even more distress. It was beautiful. It was the kind of smile poets wrote sonnets about.

“It’s good to see you, Raven,” Clarke said. God her voice. It was deep and smooth. For a second Bellamy wondered what it would sound like screaming his name. He felt his dick harden at the thought. Shit. He needed to calm down. He was acting like a teenager. He was an Alpha. He should have more control than this.

“Clarke,” Raven’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Raven gestured to Bellamy. “This is my Alpha Bellamy.” Clarke gave Bellamy and unimpressed glance then moved her attention back to her friend. A dismissal. Here he was salivating over this woman, and she couldn't care less. Bellamy let out a low growl.

“Your Alpha too, while you are here,” Bellamy said through gritted teeth. His wolf prickled at her attitude. Bellamy sent out strong dominate vibes. Dominate wolves did this to assert their position in the pack. He figured she should know exactly who she was dismissing. Surprisingly Clarke didn’t back down. Instead, she sent her own vibes at him. Not to challenge but to make it clear, she was strong too.

"I _suppose _so," Clarke said, emphasizing the second word. Bellamy heard Miller snicker behind him. Bellamy shouldn't have enjoyed her defiance, but he did. Shit, this was not going to go well.__

 

__****_ _

Clarke Griffin sat in the kitchen of the Prometheus Pack’s main house. She tried to project a calm demeanor, but it was difficult. It had been a long time since she was around this many wolves. She had been a lone wolf since she was 18 years old. Now at 24, she was used to being alone. Sure, she would meet with the occasional shifter in whatever town she was passing through or party at some shifter bar, but with one exception she had always avoided pack territory. It was easier that way. For herself and her wolf.

At the sight of all these different wolves, her own was excited but anxious. It craved attention, companionship, but it had also come to consider outsiders a threat. Guilt crashed through Clarke. It was her fault her wolf was unstable. Clarke was afraid it would be worse when she left this pack. Getting used to having packmates and then moving on again could potentially damage her wolf even further. Especially after what happened last time she tried to settle down. But that didn't change anything. Clarke couldn't let herself get too comfortable. This place was not her home. It was just a stop on the way. Marcus would fix things with the council and then she would move on.

Clarke already knew what the biggest problem of her stay would be: The Alpha. From the moment she walked in Bellamy Blake had done nothing but glare daggers at her head. It was as if her very existence offended him. Her reaction to him should have been equal disgust, but unfortunately, that was not the case. When she looked at him, all she could think about was sex. Her wolf wasn’t helping. The traitor hadn’t perked up this much in years, but now she urged her to get to know the infuriating man sitting across from her. Intimately. She resisted the desire to lick her lips at the way his biceps flexed as he passed a bowl of mashed potatoes to Raven.

Everything about him emitted sexuality. Unwanted thoughts about the softness of his caramel skin, the way his black curls would feel in Clarke’s hands, and how his perfect freckles would taste on her mouth flooded Clarke's mind. It was problematic. Clarke wasn't here to form attachments. She sure as hell wasn't here to get involved with some Alpha with an attitude problem. And while Clarke battled between rational thought and this instant lust, Bellamy ignored her. The Bastard.

“So,” the mean looking wolf-- Murphy said. “Why are you a lone wolf?” His mate, Emori, slapped him in the arm. Clarke expected the question. It was more surprising that the wolves had waited this long to ask. Lone shifters were something of a novelty. They were rare and usually came with good stories and torrid pasts. Clarke had both, but that did not mean she planned on sharing.

“The more important question,” Bellamy said. His voice was low and rough, and Clarke felt herself growing warm at the sound of it. “Is why did the council force you to rejoin a pack?”

Clarke made an elaborate show of rolling her eyes. She took another bite of steak, which she had to admit was cooked to perfection, before she answered. When she looked up from her plate, Bellamy was glaring at her again. She gave him an innocent smile before answering.

“I was a lone wolf because I have trouble staying still for too long, my wolf likes to move, she is restless and doesn't do well in crowds,” Clarke gave the table the practiced lie she’d been using for years. Most shifter’s need a pack, companionship, but a few were born with a need to roam alone. That need, when it presented itself, was nearly impossible to ignore. Lone wolves either started their nomadic lives or went crazy by forcing themselves to live the pack lifestyle. Most shifters accepted Clarke’s answer. The majority of the people looking at her did, as well. However, Bellamy snorted. It was an indignant sound, clearly indicating that he didn't buy her story. Clarke felt irritation prickle along her skin at his attitude, but her wolf liked the way he rejected her lie. It liked the way he seemed to know her, or at least a part of her, instinctually. 

“So why did they make you rejoin a pack,” Another wolf, Jasper asked. Clarke liked Jasper. He was spunky for a submissive wolf, which was always a treat. However, Clarke had no intention of elaborating on the reason for her ordered assimilation. It was her business. Plus, it was dangerous.

“I broke the rules,” Clarke said simply. Strangely, Bellamy seemed to accept this answer, unlike her last. She wasn’t being very forthcoming, but she was being honest. 

“Well I for one am happy you are here,” Raven said. “We haven’t had a healer here in too long, and these idiots are always trying to kill themselves.” Several wolves grunted their agreement. Being a healer made Clarke a valuable addition to any pack. It was easy to see why so many of the wolves here accepted her so quickly. 

For most of dinner, Raven and Clarke caught up. Clarke was genuinely happy to see her friend again. Being around someone she genuinely cared about for the first time in two years was better than Clarke expected.

“So how did you two meet?” Miller asked. His mate, Jackson, nodded also wanting to hear the story. Raven raised her eyebrow at Clarke, sending her a mischievous smile. Clarke nodded taking a sip of water before she launched into the tale. 

“The first time I met Raven,” Clarke said. “The psycho was banging on the Arkadia Pack’s door demanding the right to challenge me to a duel. Imagine my surprise considering I had no idea who this wolf was and I was barely old enough to accept a challenge.” 

“What were we, 17?” Raven interjected. 

"You were 17, I was 16,” Clarke confirmed, before continuing. “Raven, called me outside, looking like a literal crazy person,” Clarke said ignored Raven calling her an ass under her breath. "Then launched into a monologue detailing how much I would regret crossing her."

“What was the challenge over?” Emori asked. 

“Apparently we were both dating the same man,” Clarke explained. Dark looks and silent curses spread across the table. Wolves were very protective of their partners. Cheating was a much bigger deal to shifters than humans. The animal that lived inside of them had no concept of cheating and rejected the concept completely. At times shifters bowed to their primal instincts, this was just one example. “Raven thought I knew.”

“Did you?” Bellamy asked. Clarke turned, ready to snap at him, but the look on his face made her pause. His eyes were calculating, trying to judge Clarke's character. For some reason, Clarke found she didn't want him to have a bad opinion of her. 

“No, I did not. I would never touch another person’s Chosen knowingly,” Clarke said. Bellamy looked pleased with that. Clarke forcibly ignored her own feeling of pleasure at his reaction.

“So,” Murphy said. “You two fought it out? Who won?”

Raven let out a dry chuckle and shook her head. 

“Nah,” the Beta said. “The asshole ran out and started running his mouth before the challenge could start. After that didn’t take us long to realize he’d been lying to both of us.” Clarke couldn’t help but notice the bitterness in her friend's tone. Clarke may have lost a boyfriend that day, but Raven lost more. She and Finn were already planning to imprint when he first started dating Clarke. That kind of betrayal left lasting scars on a shifters soul.

Bellamy reached over and patted Raven on the arm. The gesture was friendly and there was no heat in it, yet Clarke found herself nearly growling at the sight his hand on another woman's skin. Clarke took a deep breath. This attraction was getting out of hand. How could she be jealous of her friend being comforted? It didn't make any sense.

By the end of the meal, all Clarke wanted to do was disappear into whatever room they placed her in and sleep for an ungodly amount of time. She had been on the road for two days, trying to get here before the Council's deadline was up. Sleep would be a welcomed relief. Plus, Clarke hoped that sleep would cure whatever insanity was causing her to obsess over her new Alpha.

“I will show you around and take you to your room,” Raven said, but Bellamy shook his head. 

“No, I will show Clarke around,” he said. At the sound of her name on his tongue, her wolf purred in approval. Despite her pleased wolf Clarke opened her mouth to protest, alone time with Bellamy could be nothing short of torturous, but the look in his eyes stopped her. This was not a negotiation. Clarke pushed down her frustration. It had been a long time since she’d had to deal with an Alpha. Submitting was not easy for Clarke, her wolf was too dominant. But, if she were going to live here, she would need to learn to pick her battles. So, instead of protesting she gave him a stiff nod.

As soon as she was alone with Bellamy, she realized she had been right; this was a bad idea. His mere presence affected her. He smelled like pine trees and rich spices. His broad shoulders look unnaturally good underneath his black v-neck. Clarke bet they would look even better without the v-neck. Clarke couldn't help but imagine how the planes of his back would look and feel under her gaze.

This asshole has been nothing but rude to you, since the moment you walked in! Clarke shouted at herself. She couldn't think like this. It wasn't productive. She had experienced instant attraction before. She knew she wanted Lexa immediately. But this, this was something different. This was primal. In two years she hadn't experienced any passion for another wolf. Now she was drowning in it.

After they’d left the kitchen, Bellamy led her down a long hall before. They turned a corner, and suddenly Bellamy stopped and inserted himself into Clarke’s personal space. 

“You lied,” Bellamy said, his voice was dark and accusatory.

****

Bellamy liked the way Clarke looked, backed up against the wall. It would be so easy to wrap those shapely legs around him with her like this. He tried to push the thought out of his mind. He didn't stop her for that reason. He stopped her to get some answers. A part of him wondered why he bothered lying to himself.

“What did you say to me?” Clarke asked. Her voice was low and filled with ice.

“I said you lied,” he said. Clarke was angry at the accusation, which evident by the way her breath was coming out of her chest hard. Bellamy had to stop himself from looking at how her breast rose and fell with each intake and exhale. “About why you went rogue.”

He watched Clarke’s gaze narrow. The moment her explanation was out of her mouth at dinner, he knew it was a lie. What he didn’t know was why the lie bothered him so much. If anyone understood wanting to keep certain things private, it was Bellamy. The entire pack knew that specific topics were off-limits. But he wanted to know Clarke’s secrets. Worse, some primal part of him felt he had a right to know.

“And?” she asked. And. Bellamy let loose a low growl. He was not here to play these types of games.

“And I am the Alpha here, and I have the right to know,” Bellamy said. Suddenly sly smile blossomed on Clarke’s mouth. It was dark and malicious and it made his blood boil. Bellamy had the strongest urge to bite that mouth. 

“Now who is lying?” She asked. “We both know that isn't the type of Alpha you are. I did my research on you. So listen here, I will be a part of this pack. I will follow orders and be loyal. I will not, however, share every aspect of my life with you. You do not have a right to that. If you want information, go get it. But don’t expect me to feed it too you.”

Bellamy narrowed his eyes. He didn’t even know why he cared. She was right, this wasn't the type of Alpha he was. As a rule, he gave his wolves space. He didn't pry into their past. Hell, until today he didn’t even know why Raven left her old pack and joined his. But none of that mattered right now. 

“Listen here, princess,” He said, stepping even closer to her. God, he wanted to touch her. “I am in charge here; I don’t care what privilege you're used to having. Here you follow my rules. If I tell you I need to know something, I need to know.”

Clarke’s gaze remained defiant, but now that he was closer he thought he noticed something else in her eyes too. Interest. She liked that he was challenging her. She enjoyed the back and forth.

“And you _need _to know this?” Clarke asked again. Her voice was even deeper than usual. Bellamy leaned closer to her breathed her in. She smelled so fucking good. Like the breeze of the water on a summer day. And she smelled of need. Fuck. She wanted him too. The thought made his cock harden in his pants. He gave her a dark look. The look of a predator. He pinned his arms around her head. He brought his face next to her ear. He felt her shudder at his proximity. That shudder was all it took to break his control__

____

___“I do,” he said. Then he ran his tongue along the shell of her ear. Clarke fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him against her. His mouth was on her in second. Drinking her in, devouring her. She responded immediately, chasing his mouth with her own matching his pace. Her response made his wolf growl in approval._ _ _

____

Bellamy never touched his packmates. It was his most basic rule. But right now he didn’t care. Clarke consumed his reason and tossed it aside. He’d been thinking about kissing her for the last three hours. She tasted even better than he thought was possible. He could get lost in a kiss like this. In Clarke. And he was.

____

Each time he touched her, his desire for her grew. He knew she could feel his need for her against her stomach. And he could smell how wet she was. For him. The smell was intoxicating. He cupped her breast, relishing the feeling of her in his hand. She moaned into his mouth at the sensation. The sound of her encouragement made him want to take her right here in the hall.

____

Without warning, Bellamy was slammed across the hall onto the opposing wall. Clarke stood opposite to him, shaking and out of breath from their kiss. Her face a myriad of emotion lust, confusion, and anger. Anger, however, stood out the most.

____

“I left my pack because the new Alpha killed my father, outside of a challenge, in cold blood, and no one including my mother his _true mate _, stopped him.” She spat the words at him. Bellamy tensed. He saw the pain in her eyes. For a brief instant, he considered taking her in his arms and comforting her. But he resisted that urge. Bellamy had crossed enough lines today. Besides, the look on her face suggested she wouldn't let him touch her right now. For some reason, that possible rejection, hurt more than being slammed against a wall.__

____

“Is that what you needed to know?” Clarke asked again. Bellamy ignored the question. The coldness in her voice was back, and it angered him more than it should. Instead, he straightened out his shirt and ignored his wolf’s disapproval.

____

“That is your room,” Bellamy said, gesturing toward the door to Clarke’s left. “I will have Raven give you a tour in the morning.”

____

He didn’t wait for Clarke to nod, as he turned stalked off down the hall.

____

 

____


	2. Mutability or Everything Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Clarke and Bellamy don't hate each other as much as they thought they did... But will that make things any easier?
> 
> Preview:  
> "They didn’t talk about the kiss. Or how often they saw each other glaring at the other’s mouth. When she broke off the kiss, she’d been angry. Angry at the council for forcing her to join a pack again. Angry at him for being such a demanding prick. But most of all, she was angry at herself for wanting him so damn much. Even though they weren’t speaking, that didn’t mean Clarke could stop thinking about him. About the kiss. About what would have happened if it had continued."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is getting much more involved than I originally planned. I hope you all like the direction it is going!

Running always woke up the part of Clarke that was fearless. 

Not running on two legs, that was restrictive, and frankly sucked. But truly running. Running as a wolf was a drug Clarke rarely allowed herself to partake in. It was a high like no other. The shift felt like shedding old clothes and sliding into clean sheets. There was no pain. Just blissful transition.

The trees blurred as Clarke ran past them, yet she noticed every bend. Her wolf was alert, yet relaxed. The world around her sharp and unfocused all at the same time. She was both in control and entirely out of control.

Today her wolf was restless. Her eyes were alert, scanning the forest. Waiting. A movement called her attention to the right. There. Black fur streaked through the trees parallel to her. A low growl escaped her. Instead of changing positions to confront the intruder, she ran harder-- faster. 

Clarke rarely ran with other wolves. She ran with Raven, sure, but for Clarke running with another wolf was a challenge. It took every part of Clarke's human willpower to convince her other wolves weren't there to hurt her. Damaged animals took a long time feel safe again. That went for wolves too.

The black wolf gaining on her didn't seem to care that she didn't want the company. Almost every time she shifted, he would show up, and the chase began. Clarke wanted to be annoyed by his presence. She wanted snarl and bite when he moved from the trees to running directly next to her. She wanted to resent his company. But she didn't. Her wolf reveled in it. In the competition. Hell, even in the comradery. She fucking loved it. 

The wolf next to her pushed her, made her move faster, try harder. And as much as she hated to admit it, Clarke had been waiting for him to join her, excited by the prospect.There was a bend up ahead. Clarke knew that if she could make it around that bend before the wolf next to her, there would be no way he could catch up to her. Her wolf wanted to win. She wanted to win. 

Clarke pushed herself forward, angling her agile body to take the turn, pulling her flanks into her body to increase speed. This is what she'd been born to do.She was just beginning to take the curve when something hard slammed into her side. Clarke let out a howl as she landed roughly on the ground. Clarke pulled herself into a crouch, then her body went still-- alert, looking for the threat. 

The black wolf stood over her crouched body. If wolves could laugh, she would say he was laughing at her. His head shook back and forth, and his tongue rolled out of his mouth. Then, with an infuriatingly mocking howl, he took off. 

Clarke stayed there, astonished, for a moment. He cheated. Amusement rolled through Clarke. With a howl, her wolf pushed forward, after him. If Bellamy wanted to play that way, she was game.

****

“How did you manage this?” Clarke asked. Monty lay on the infirmary bed with a nasty cut down his left leg. 

“He was trying to impress Harper while we were running drills,” Murphy said with a laugh. Harper was one of the enforcers of this pack. From what Clarke could tell, the girl was lethal. Monty was a submissive wolf. Clarke liked that he was going after a dominant female. A lot of dominate wolves liked to pretend submissive wolves didn’t have any backbone, Clarke enjoyed when they proved those assholes wrong.

In other packs, submissives would not have to participate in training drills. But everyone in the Prometheus pack trained. According to Raven that was one of the new rules, Bellamy implemented when he became Alpha. He may never expect the submissives to fight in a battle, but he wanted them to know basic defense. Clarke pushed the thought of Bellamy out of her mind. 

“You out,” she ordered Murphy. Clarke always preferred to perform healings alone with her patient. The process was deeply personal. 

All healer’s magic worked differently, but Clarke’s was especially intense. When she healed someone she didn’t only feel their pain, she saw part of their soul. Murphy gave Clarke an eye roll and called “yes mom” over his shoulder as he strolled out of the room. Despite doing his best to be unlikable, Clarke enjoyed Murphy. He and his mate had become some of Clarke’s closest friends in the few weeks she’d been with the pack. 

Turning her attention back to Monty, Clarke gave him a small smile before resting her hands on either side of his wound. 

Images filled Clarke’s mind: Jasper laughing, the pack drinking moonshine. Harper wearing a flower crown. Pain.  
Clarke followed the pain to the cut. She pulled the pain into herself. She felt the slice on her own leg. It wasn’t really there, but the pain didn’t care about reality. She gritted her teeth and continued to feed Monty’s discomfort into herself.  
More images assaulted her mind: His mother dying, playing in the rain as a child, the first time he saw Harper. 

Clarke removed her hands from his leg. Monty gave her a sheepish smile. It acted as a silent question.

“You should tell her, ya know,” she said gently. Monty nodded and took Clarke’s hand in his, giving it a squeeze of appreciation. His secret was safe with her. Suddenly he dropped her hand, his eyes widening at someone over her shoulder. 

Behind her was Bellamy. Looking murderous. 

“Clarke,” he said through clenched teeth. “I need you to come with me.” 

Clarke tensed. They didn’t speak. Not if they could help it. When they did speak, it tended to be snide comments or outright yelling matches. Usually over trivial nonsense. The other day they got into a fight over the details of the Chilean Coup in the 70s. He’d called her a pretentious snob, and she’d called him a self-righteous ass. The rest of the pack lapsed into uncomfortable silence before Clarke got up and stalked out of the room. 

They didn’t talk about the running. They didn’t acknowledge that their wolves seemed drawn to each other. They didn’t talk about the way their wolves easily accepted each other, something uncommon for dominate wolves. Clarke didn’t tell him how much her wolf needed his company, or how much that confused her. Clarke didn’t tell him that she hadn’t been able to run with another wolf, completely without fear or anxiety, in a long, long time. 

They didn’t talk about the kiss. Or how often they saw each other glaring at the other’s mouth. When she broke off the kiss, she’d been angry. Angry at the council for forcing her to join a pack again. Angry at him for being such a demanding prick. But most of all, she was angry at herself for wanting him so damn much. Even though they weren’t speaking, that didn’t mean Clarke could stop thinking about him. About the kiss. About what would have happened if it had continued. Every time she saw him, she was bombarded with thoughts of him. She had felt his hard length against her while they kissed. The number of times she’d wondered how it would fit inside of her since that night was embarrassing.

Since that first night, Clarke was never alone with Bellamy. It was the smart choice. She couldn’t trust herself around him. Not after that kiss. Bellamy apparently felt the same way. They avoided each other at all cost. At least, while they were on two legs. The thought of being alone with him now, even for a short amount of time, unsteadied her.

As they walked through the hall, Clarke made sure to walk nearly two feet away from him. No contact allowed. Bellamy barely looked at her after giving her a dismissing nod when she joined him in the hall. Despite his coldness, Clarke felt her cheeks heat as they passed the branch off to her rooms. Bellamy didn’t say anything. He just quickened his pace, as if to avoid the same memories. 

When they entered his office, Clarke smiled at Miller, who stood next to Bellamy’s desk. Miller looked irritated, and Clarke followed his gaze to a man standing across the room. A grin spread out on over her face. 

“Nyko?” Clarke asked, equal parts astonished and pleased. Nyko was a healer like Clarke. She hadn’t seen him in over a year. Nyko advanced to hug Clarke, but Bellamy and Miller’s warning growls stopped him. Pack males did not trust outsiders with their woman. Clarke rolled her eyes; this practice was archaic, misogynistic, and insulting. But they were animals, after all, it was hard to kill thousands of years of animal instinct. But honestly, she expected more from Miller. 

“I wish I were here with better news,” Nyko said, shuffling his feet. 

“What is it?” Clarke asked. The room was silent. Nyko looked to Bellamy who sighed. It was a tired sigh; the sigh one makes after arguing for hours. Not the dismissive sigh Clarke was used to receiving from Bellamy. Miller avoided her gaze altogether. Panic slithered up Clarke’s spine. 

Bellamy put his hand on Clarke’s arm. Clarke jerked her arm away quickly. After no physical contact for weeks, his hand on her arm felt like a brand. Worse, every instinct told Clarke to lean into the touch.

“There has been a claim made on you, Clarke,” he said quietly. Every muscle in Clarke’s body went still. Claim. Her wolf growled at the word. 

“What?” She asked, her voice cold.

“Cage Wallace,” Nyko started. “The Alpha of the Mountain Pack claims you are his true mate.” 

Clarke let out a string of curses. Cage Wallace was a vile sliver of a man. He was lucky his wolf was dominate, and his father held sway with the council because nearly everyone who met him hated him on sight. That said, he had remade the Mountain Pack in his own image. The worst type of shifters made up that cesspool. 

“It isn’t true,” Clarke said, her eyes snapping to Bellamy. If he thought she was Cage’s mate, he might send her to him. Bellamy’s eyes widened at the worry in her voice. 

He brought his hand up to rest on the column of her neck, rubbing soothing circles with his fingers. He was so gentle. Clarke hadn’t known he was capable of such gentleness. All she got were hot looks and snide words. This was different. She sucked a breath in as shivers ignited under his touch.

“I know,” he said. Clarke should have been upset by his bold touch, but instead, she found herself leaning into his hand. He sounded so sincere. As if, somehow, he knew that it was impossible for her to be someone like Cage’s mate.

“Why would Cage claim this? Clarke is on the outs with the council, what could he hope to gain?” Miller asked. Nyko cleared his throat. Clarke hadn’t realized she had been staring at Bellamy. She pulled away and raised her brow at Nyko. She never gave Cage any indication she wanted to spend more than three seconds with him. She had no idea why he would try and claim her. Nyko shook his head before responding in a barely audible whisper. 

“He knows you are a death-holder,” Nyko said. 

The room was completely silent for a moment before Miller said,

“Holy-mother-fucking-shit, Clarke.” 

“You two out,” Bellamy ordered. His voice was firm-- it left no room for question. She looked at Miller and Nyko, but they were already darting out the door. Miller sent her an empathetic glance leaving her completely alone with Bellamy. She wouldn’t look at him, afraid of what she might see in his eyes. 

“Bellamy,” Clarke started, her voice cautious. She was still so close to him, too close. She could feel his wolf-- his power radiating off of him. He once again placed his hand on her arm, forcing her to look up at him. 

“You are a death-holder?” He asked his voice deadly calm. There were many different types of healers. Healers of the mind, body, and spirit. But the rarest type of healers were also the most dangerous: death-holders. Death-holders could heal, the same way other healers did, but they could also hurt with their magic. Death-holders had the power to introduce pain through contact. Because of how dangerous their powers were, packs both coveted and feared death holders. 

“Yes,” Clarke said. She watched as an unreadable emotion passed across Bellamy’s face. He removed his hand from her arm and ran it through his curls. 

"I don't use it," Clarke said after Bellamy remained quiet. Still, he didn't say anything. Just rubbed his jaw as he slumped on the couch in his office. "Do you think that, as a healer, I relish having that kind of destructive power?"

“Come here,” Bellamy said, pointing at the spot on the couch next to him. Clarke raised her eyebrow at the order. It wasn’t a large couch. If she sat that close to him, she would have to touch him. She wasn’t sure she could do that. Her wolf was warry too. Not because she didn’t want to touch Bellamy, no, the traitor was fine with touching. Her wolf didn’t like the tone of his voice. The command. 

“I said come here, Clarke,” he said again. His voice was dark, for a moment Clarke wasn’t sure who was talking to her, her Alpha, the wolf that ran with her every morning, or the man who pinned her against the wall in the hall. 

Slowly, deliberately testing his patience, Clarke walked to the couch. Then, just as slowly she lowered herself to sit next to him.

“I’ll leave,” she said quietly. “To protect the pack from Cage, I’ll leave.” Bellamy’s eyes snapped to her. The determination in them, causing her to pause.

“You are not leaving,” he growled out. Clarke flushed at his tone. “I protect what is mine.”

Mine. The word rippled through Clarke’s mind. While her wolf had a problem with anyone claiming ownership over her, heat still pooled between her thighs at the world. 

_You are part of his pack Clarke, she thought, that is all he means. He hates you. He is only protecting you because of Marcus. ___

__Instead of responding Clarke just nodded._ _

__“I won’t let Cage get his hands on you either,” Bellamy snarled. The way he looked at her made Clarke’s mouth water._ _

__“No, worries Bellamy,” she said, she tried to keep the wanting out of her voice. “I have no desire to be the Persephone to his Hades.”_ _

__The joke was half-hearted, meant to distract herself from the tension she felt. From the heat in Bellamy’s eye. From the way his hands had come to rest on her thigh and hip. However, a small smile lit up Bellamy’s face._ _

__“Actually, Hades and Persephone had one of the happiest marriages in the classical canon,” he said with a teasing smile. Clarke raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t used to this Bellamy. In fact, she doesn't think they had ever spoken this long without insulting the other._ _

__“Wow, you are a nerd,” She said with a sideways grin. Bellamy chuckled back, not denying her statement. “Who knew someone that looked like you could be such a dork.”_ _

__Clarke regretted the words as soon as she said them. Heat flashed in Bellamy’s eyes, and suddenly his dorky grin was replaced by a smirk that would make a nun blush._ _

__“You like the way I look, Clarke,” he whispered. Her eyes fell to Bellamy’s mouth. His extremely talented mouth, as she remembered. Clarke found herself nodding. She did like the way he looked. In fact, liked was an understatement._ _

__“Good,” Bellamy whispered. He leaned in a little more, his hands slowly sliding up Clarke’s thigh as he did. “Because I like the way you look too, princess. In fact, I think you look good enough to eat.” The implications of what Bellamy just said flooded Clarke's mind. She liked them a lot._ _

__As his scent filled her lungs, Clarke lost all will to fight this attraction. She wanted him. She didn’t know why and she knew it was dangerous, but she didn’t care._ _

__Just as Clarke leaned in, a loud bang on the door stopped her short._ _

__“Hey, Bellamy, I got ahold of my contact up north, you want to talk to him?” Raven’s voice called from behind the door._ _

__Clarke jumped to her feet. Shit. She was supposed to be stronger than this. Attachments were not in the plan here. She was halfway to the door when Bellamy called her name._ _

__“Clarke, wait.” Her traitorous body stopped and turned around. Bellamy was standing. There was a burning in his eyes that called out to the most primal part of Clarke._ _

__“I- we are going to stop this. This pack is a family, and as long as you are here, you are part of that family. We will stand with you through this. I will stand with you.” He said. Clarke felt herself soften. She didn’t want to be touched by his words, but she was._ _

__“Thank you, Bellamy,” she whispered. “You are a good Alpha.” Then she fled the room before she had a chance to do anything more._ _

__****  
Cage Wallace's claim changed things. Bellamy knew it. After that day, Bellamy had to stop pretending. _ _

__He didn't hate Clarke Griffin. He wanted to. He needed to. But he didn't. Clarke was smart. She was a damn good healer. His pack loved her. Miller called her "enormously clever," which, in Miller terms, meant Clarke was basically a saint. Murphy even liked her and Murphy didn't like anyone. That's why he wasn't surprised when the pack didn't freak over Clarke's status as death-holder. They briefed the pack over dinner, and not one of the wolves demanded that Clarke leave. Most of the wolves were too angry at Cage's claim, to talk about anything else. Bellamy understood that._ _

__The two of them didn't fight the way they used to. Bellamy made an effort to stop antagonizing her. Fighting with Clarke was easy. He could think about how much he wanted her, or he could call her out on some small fault. The latter had been the easiest choice. And she had responded so well. Her anger always eager to meet his own. In a sick way, the battle was fun. Erotic._ _

__But the look of panic in her eyes after she heard about Cage's claim, the panic that Bellamy might send her to that monster, the fear; it changed everything._ _

__Bellamy felt ashamed. He had let a member of his pack think he wouldn't protect them, over some petty prejudice. It wasn't Clarke's fault she was born into privilege, and she had never tried to use that privilege to avoid her responsibilities. In fact, she seemed to thrive on work. Throwing herself into reorganizing the infirmary, restocking medicine and bandages, and training some of the other wolves on first aid. She was strong, hardworking, and she deserved to feel safe in her pack. Bellamy needed to be better._ _

__There was still one big problem. Bellamy burned for Clarke. That hadn't changed. Anger still worked its way into his throat when he saw her flirting with other wolves. Lust still infected his mind when he watched her work or train. Before, lashing out, helped alleviate his need. The battle of wits and wills giving him some type of outlet. But now, now that he was trying to be different-- nice, Bellamy felt like he was drowning in Clarke._ _

__He wasn't perfect. The morning after the claim was made, Bellamy walked into the kitchen to find Clarke and Riley, one of his enforcers, throwing grapes at each other and giggling like children. His growl surged throughout the large room. It was the same gut reaction he had the day before when he saw Monty holding Clarke’s hand in the infirmary. Bellamy didn’t want to be jealous. Hell, it wasn’t even like him. He liked to think of himself as more evolved than most shifters, immune to the misogynistic animal urges. But, with Clarke, he was falling short._ _

__"Don't you have something productive to do," Bellamy had asked Riley, his voice tight with anger. Riley took the hint and slid out of the room immediately._ _

__"You say this is my pack now," Clarke snapped at him. Her eyes had narrowed as she assessed him. "But you keep driving people away from me!"_ _

__Bellamy remembered how he stalked over to her, leaning down to whisper in her ear._ _

__"Maybe I just want you all to myself." He hadn't meant to say it, but it was true. Selfish, fucked up, unhealthy, but true. Bellamy watched as Clarke swallowed hard._ _

__"We don't always get what we want," She'd said eventually. But her voice was breathy and unconvincing._ _

__Despite a few incidents after that, one including Clarke lobbing a packet of ace bandages at his head and calling him a condescending jackass (all for suggesting that if she were more vigilant during training drills, she wouldn't have tripped and twisted her ankle), Bellamy realized he and Clarke got along. Apparently, if you didn't treat her like an intruder, she had the potential to be very fun._ _

__They talked now, instead of snarling and glaring at each other. They laughed at each other's jokes. They still bickered because watching her get riled up was a pleasure in and of itself, but it lacked the venom that existed before. Bellamy found himself seeking Clarke out more and more. Before, when he was trying to hate her actively, he could resist the urge to be next to her. With her. But now, he'd given up altogether. They talked now. They talked about mythology, art, and politics. He often found that they would get lost in each other, forgetting about the rest of the pack, until a large conversation became just the two of them._ _

__Other people noticed, too. Raven made several comments, about Bellamy’s attitude toward Clarke. And at dinners, she made sure to concoct a way that Bellamy and Clarke sat together. If Raven weren’t such a good Beta, he’d have thrown her out of the pack just for irritating him. Okay, he wouldn’t have, but sure sounded appealing every time he was forced to sit next to Clarke during a meal. How was he supposed to concentrate on eating when her skin was so close to him, just begging to be touched?_ _

__But Clarke never touched him. She always made sure she was out of his reach. Bellamy didn’t understand why the lack of touch caused such agony for him. But every day it became harder for him to look at her and not hold her. He was close to reaching his breaking point._ _

__The pack ate a lot. Cooking was an ordeal, so they took turns. A week after Cage's threat, Bellamy was chopping vegetables for stir fry when Clarke appeared beside him._ _

__"Can I help?" She asked, there was something in her voice that made Bellamy pause. They were alone in the house. The rest of the pack had just left for a run. Understanding clicked in Bellamy's mind._ _

__"Sure, you start with the carrots," he said. Clarke started chopping beside him. For awhile the only sound was the clink of knives against cutting boards. A staccato rhythm filled the air._ _

__"My dad was killed, while we were on a run together," she whispered after a bit. "The council ordered his death, and Jaha filled the order, but instead of challenging him... Jaha shot him with a rifle. He was two inches to my left when he went down. The gun was so loud. My wolf didn't understand what was happening. She watched her father die and the other wolves around her panic. Running in a group was too much for her after that. She was too skittish, too afraid and untrusting."_ _

__Bellamy didn't say anything. He knew what running with a pack did for a shifter. They needed it. It calmed a portion of their soul in a way nothing else could duplicate._ _

__"Even with my last girlfriend," Clarke continued. "Running with her was hard. She worked with me, though, she was patient. Eventually, my wolf could do it, without anxiety..." Clarke trailed off, and Bellamy could hear the pain in her voice._ _

__"What happened to her?" Bellamy asked, putting down his knife and turning to face Clarke. Her knuckles were white from how tight she gripped the knife in her hands._ _

__"Lexa died," Clarke said. Bellamy knew of Lexa. She'd been the Alpha of the Woodland Pack. She'd taken a leave of absence nearly two years ago, and had been killed protecting her girlfriend in an ambush. Bellamy had had no idea Clarke was that girlfriend. Bellamy put his hand over Clarke's, causing her to let go of the knife. She pulled her hand away but turned to look up at him. "I have barely been able to stomach running with another wolf since she died. It is even difficult with Raven. And then there is you."_ _

__"I'll stop coming with you," Bellamy whispered. "If you need your space." His wolf rumbled at that thought. He didn't want to stop. The first time he saw her head for the woods alone, he didn't even process that he was following her until he had shifted and was trotting after her. It was pure instinct. Being with her in the woods were the best moments of his day. But if she needed it, he'd give it up. However, Clarke shook her head._ _

__"Running with you," she said. "That doesn't bother my wolf at all. She loves it." Bellamy sucked in a breath. He could tell by the wild look in Clarke's eye that she was revealing more than she'd planned. Her mouth was slightly open, and her tough flicked out to wet her lips. Bellamy brought his thumb up and lightly traced her bottom lip. She didn't flinch away from his touch._ _

__"Do you want to run with them?" He asked, his eyes boring into her own, his hand snaking to rest on the back of her neck. Clarke didn't answer out loud but nodded._ _

__"Then come with me," Bellamy said. He took Clarke's hand in his own and pulled her after him-- forgetting the dinner he was preparing. The pack could order pizza tonight. He didn't let himself think about how well her hand felt in his. He led her to the clearing outside the big house._ _

__"Stay close to me," he said as he started shucking off his clothes. "We will catch up to the pack, but run behind them. I'll signal them to stay in front of us. If your wolf gets nervous, let me know and we will break off." Clarke nodded, but he could see the unease in her eyes. After a moment, her jaw squared in determination, and she peeled off her shirt._ _

__Shit. Nudity was part of being a shifter. If you didn't take off your clothes before you shifted, all you were left with was scraps. So, modesty was an expensive habit. But seeing Clarke standing in the clearing, barefoot in only her bra and cut off shorts, made Bellamy's mouth go dry._ _

__Bellamy walked over to Clarke and let his fingers trail along her shoulders. He heard her gasp as the contact, but again, she didn't pull away. His eyes found hers, and he let the tips of his fingers slide down her arms and then ghost over her abdomen. A dark glint lit her eyes as his hands reached the button of her shorts. With a single flick, he had them opened and began pulling them down. Bellamy nearly had a stroke when he realized she wasn't wearing underwear._ _

__"Shit Clarke," he whispered, as she stepped out of her shorts. She reached back behind herself and unclicked her bra. Bellamy took a step back; his eyes transfixed as she pulled the material off her chest and deposited it on the ground._ _

__She was a goddess. A fucking diety sent to this earth to torment him. His imagined version of Clarke naked was a mere shadow of the real thing. Her breasts her large and heavy, and she had the most incising mole above her left nipple. He couldn't wait to run his tongue over it. Her hips swayed out in a way that made Bellamy very aware of how well he could hold onto them if he was slamming into her from behind. Her legs were toned and strong. And way lay between her legs was fucking perfect. A neat triangle of blonde curls led to the spot Bellamy wanted most._ _

__Any other time and that would have been it. Bellamy would have laid Clarke on her back right there in the clearing, spread her legs and feast on her hot pussy. Then he would have taken her, finally. Then he would have done it again._ _

__But a howl from the woods brought him back to reality. Fucking wasn't what Clarke needed right now. Bellamy pulled off his jeans and then his briefs, quickly. When the last of his clothes lay at a pile of his feet, he looked back at Clarke's face. Her eyes were burning, taking him in. She scanned his entire body stopping at his cock, which was hard and ready against his thigh. Bellamy wasn't embarrassed. How could he not be hard when she looked the way she did. Bellamy forced himself to ignore the way she licked her lips at the sight of him._ _

__"You ready?" His voice was deep and rough. Clarke's eyes looked panicked but then she nodded, turning toward the woods. Then, without any delay, she shifted._ _

__Her wolf turned and looked at him. Waiting for him to follow. In seconds he did. As soon as he was on four legs his wolf howled and pushed off into the woods._ _

__Bellamy knew what the howl meant. He knew what he was saying to Clarke, even if the human side wasn't ready to admit it yet._ _

__Bellamy would follow Clarke anywhere._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocab:
> 
> Chosen: A shifter that you chose to imprint with, despite not being true mates.  
> Imprinting: The process of mating with someone that is not your true mate. The bond is nearly as strong but can be broken if one of the partners meets their true mate.  
> True Mates: Soul Mates. Rare. If your true mate dies after you mate the damage to your soul can kill you.  
> Dominant wolf: A fighter. Their wolf is physically very strong. Usually has issues with authority.  
> Submissive wolf: A physically weaker wolf, who is usually more mentally dominant. Known as the glue to the pack because they calm the dominant wolves.  
> Alpha: Man/Woman in charge of the pack. Usually the strongest wolf in the pack  
> Beta: Alpha's right-hand man/woman  
> Enforcers: Guards who protect the pact  
> Healers: Shifters with the magical ability to heal  
> Death-Holders: healers that can heal or hurt with their magic


	3. What Happened to 'Hello'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when things are looking good for our two heroes, Bellamy makes questionable decisions and Clarke response is equally frustrating. Enjoy the angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I had finals (ew) and then my workload exploded (because apparently if you neglect work for school you have to play catch-up later-- rude huh?).  
> SO, here you go! Excuse any spelling/grammar issues. I tried to get this out as quickly as possible and did not have time for a beta to read over this. There should not be such a long wait for the next chapter! 
> 
> Let me know what you think!

Clarke Griffin was going to murder Bellamy Blake.

Clarke felt a lot of things for Bellamy. Lust, from the moment she first met him. Irritation, during the first few weeks she knew him. Appreciation, for helping her run with a pack again. And another, scarier emotion Clarke refused to recognize--yet.

After her first run with the pack, Bellamy had barely made it inside the house before he was called into his office. Clarke couldn't help but be disappointed when Bellamy told the pack he had to leave-- immediately. A friend of his, Monroe, was being challenged for the right to lead her pack. She needed the support of her allies, and fast, just in case the challenge turned into a full-blown pack war. Bellamy, Miller, Echo, and Murphy all headed out within the hour. 

As the pack scurried to get everything ready for those leaving, Bellamy discreetly pulled her aside.

“We started something tonight,” he’d whispered, quiet enough that no one else would hear. “I plan on finishing it.”

Clarke remembered the heat in his eyes as he ran a thumb over her collarbone. The way her mouth went dry at the promise in his words. She'd wanted nothing more than for him to do just that. Right then. Hell, she didn't even care if someone saw. She wanted to finish what they started. And then do it again.

Instead, he pulled away from her and walked out of the house, leaving Clarke with a unique blend of frustration and longing.  
Now all she felt was rage. She was going to fucking kill him.  
Bellamy had been gone four days when she got a call from her mother. By the time she pressed end on her phone’s screen, she was livid. Now that he was back, she was going to tear his throat out.

She knew she probably looked like a crazy person, stalking through the Big House, hands extended into claws, dominate vibes radiating off of her. Monty yelped and lowered his head as she passed him. She’d feel guilty about that later. Right now, she had bigger problems to worry about.

When she burst into Bellamy’s office, Miller and Raven were sitting across from his desk. Neither would make eye contact.

"I take it you know?" Bellamy asked. He didn't have the decency to avoid eye contact; instead, he stared her down. Any sane wolf would look away from their Alpha's stare, but Clarke never claimed to over-appreciate sanity. Instead, she gave him a stiff nod, never looking away.

"Why don't you two give us a minute," Bellamy said still looking at Clarke, his jaw set tight.

"No, they stay," Clarke said, her voice clipped and sharp. Clarke knew she didn't have her head on straight when it came to Bellamy. She needed someone else in the room, to keep her grounded--to keep her angry.  
Raven and Miller's faces were filled with panic and confusion, but they stayed put. Bellamy let out a low growl, but it wasn't commanding. It was irritated, almost tired.

"Are you going to let me explain?" he asked, his voice low.

"Only, if it is the best damn explanation I have ever heard," Clarke started. "However, since my mother called me yesterday, congratulating me on imprinting. Demanding to know who it is I am imprinting with, and why I didn't tell her, I doubt any explanation will cover it!"

"Shit," Raven whispered. Shit was right. Abby Griffin was a force of nature. Clarke spent over an hour on the phone trying to calm her down and get off the phone. Clarke had spent the last day and a half dodging her mother’s follow-up calls and texts. 

"What did you say to her?" Bellamy asked, his voice suddenly tense. Clarke took a deep breath. She shouldn’t be affected by his voice. Her toes shouldn’t curl at the dominance it held. She was angry dammit. She needed to stay that way.

"You will be happy to know, I did not blow your fucking plan. I gave her vague answers. I told her we were keeping it quiet for now, but I would tell her more when the tension with Cage blew over. I would have said more, but it is kind of hard for me to tell her things I don't know!" Clarke's last words came out as a shout. The room filled with a dark tension. Bellamy squared his jaw but said nothing. Raven shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"This plan will keep you safe," Miller finally said, his voice so quiet. Clarke glanced at the enforcer. She wasn't angry with him. She understood their plan. If people believed that Clarke was in the process of imprinting, then nobody would think she'd met her true mate, and Cage's claims would be ignored. No shifter could imprint if they'd met their mate. Even if they wanted to. You could deny your mate, but you couldn't convince your soul it was wrong. It was a good plan.

The plan wasn’t the problem. The problem was Bellamy. For some reason, the thought of Bellamy making this decision, without her—it drove her wild with anger. She expected more. Hell, she didn't even know why, but she did.

"That should have been my decision, Bellamy," Clarke said. Imprinting wasn't a joke. Only two factors broke apart an imprinted couple, death or the revelation of a true mate. And Clarke was all too familiar with one of these options. Pretending to imprint, was unheard of. Almost sacrilegious. "Dammit, this is my life."

"You weren't there," Bellamy said as if that justified everything.

"You have a phone. You could have called me. This isn't the dark ages—" Clarke started before Bellamy interjected.

"As your alpha, I did what I had to do to protect you. I won't apologize for that," His voice was no longer calm. Clarke’s entire body went rigid at the sound of his anger. Bellamy's eyes burned as he continued. "I understand you are irritated you weren't consulted, but it was a split second decision. I wanted to tell you before anyone else had the chance too, but I thought it should be said in person. But I am your alpha, and you need to start acting like it."

"Get out," Clarke said to Raven and Miller. Her voice left no room for disobedience. Technically, they both held higher positions in the pack than she did, so she had no right to order them to do anything. But they did not hesitate to comply. With the two other wolves gone, Clarke and Bellamy were left glaring at each other over his desk.

"Have you ever imprinted?" Clarke asked. Her voice took on a detached tone.

"No,” Bellamy said. Imprinting took time. It was a process that couldn't be explained. Every wolf that had imprinted had a different experience. You had to be sure about the person you chose because there was no easy way to come back from that decision. It was profound and personal. 

"I have," Clarke said. Bellamy's eyes widened. Clarke's wolf whined within her at the memory. At the pain. "Or at least, I started to. With Lexa. It was wonderful. Connecting to someone on that level. Feeling them in your heart—it is like nothing I can describe. It is magical. But she died, while we were in the middle of that process. And when she died, I felt it. In my soul. I have felt the connection it brings. I felt the wonder, the love, and the pain that comes with it. I have had someone ripped from my heart. And that pain, nearly destroyed me. Imprinting is real to me Bellamy. It is not a fucking ruse."

"I didn't know," Bellamy said. He started to move around his desk to her but stopped when Clarke tensed. 

"You would have if you would have consulted me," Clarke said, her voice still very far away.

"You are right," Bellamy said. Clarke's attention snapped back to him at the concession. Alpha's rarely admitted when they were wrong. "I should have talked to you first. I just wanted to keep you safe." Clarke felt some of her rage dissolve. Bellamy was an alpha. Her alpha. The rules were different for him. He could decide for his pack. He didn't have to feel guilty for it. He didn't have to care or apologize. But he did. And that mattered to her. Even if she desperately wished it didn’t.

Clarke leaned over Bellamy's desk and put her hand on his. She wanted to hang on to her anger, but she couldn't. For some reason, she could never get her bearings with Bellamy. Her heart and her wolf were too ready to forgive him, even when her brain wanted to rage on.

"I still think this a good way to discredit Cage's claim on you," Bellamy said quietly. "And when all of this blows over—you will be free. No one will expect you to stay. No one will hold you to this pretense." Bellamy said. Clarke only nodded. She knew that this plan could derail Cage. She did. But she didn't want to admit it out loud yet. Not when her heart was so raw. Not when the thought of pretending to imprint felt like such a betrayal to Lexa’s memory. To the bond they shared. There was another critical factor she needed to know first.

"My mother," she started. "She didn't know who the person I was imprinting was. Who is it, Bellamy? Who did you convince to do this?" He tensed, and a guilty look blossomed on Bellamy's face. Clarke jerked back her hand. His expression could only mean one thing. No. This could not be happening.

"Bellamy, no,” Clarke whispered. She ignored the hurt that flashed through his eyes.

“This doesn’t have to change anything,” he said, his voice nearly desperate.

“This changes everything,” she whispered.

****

Bellamy hadn’t meant to tell Monroe that Clarke Griffin was imprinting. But when Monroe asked why a member of his pack was running from her mate, he’d just snapped.

“Cage isn’t Clarke’s mate,” He’d said, his voice full of anger. The words came out before he could stop them. “Plus, Clarke’s imprinting. If she were mated, that would be impossible.”

Bellamy had to hand it to himself. It was a pretty genius plan for something so spur of the moment. A wolf that had met its mate couldn’t imprint. Even if they wanted to, even if they hated their mate. It just wasn’t possible.

“Shit Bellamy,” Monroe had said, taking a swig of her drink. “Congratulations.”

Bellamy’s first instinct at Monroe’s assumption had been to correct her, to tell her that Clarke was imprinting with someone else. Someone, but not him. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He tried to lie to himself. To tell himself it was easier, safer even, if people thought Clarke was imprinting with him. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew the truth: he couldn’t bear the idea of people thinking Clarke was imprinting with anyone else. Even if it was just pretend. 

Bellamy should have known it would all blow up in his face. Everything he did always turned to shit. Every relationship he’d ever had blew up. His sister. Gina. In the long run, it always went wrong. And it was always his fucking fault. But not this one. Not Clarke. He didn't know why he craved her the way he did. He didn’t understand it. But he wouldn’t let her go. He couldn’t. Not yet. 

She had left him alone in his office after she realized he was playing the part of her Chosen. He didn’t know if it was disappointment or anger that drove her out of the room. Either option left a tangible sting. But he needed to talk to her. Make her understand, that even though they were pretending-- what he felt for her, whatever this feeling was, it was genuine.  
Bellamy wandered the halls looking for her. He breathed deeply, trying to get a fix on her scent. He followed it to the living room but stopped short.

“You’re hurting,” Raven’s voice said. He knew she was talking to Clarke. He could tell they were the only two in the room.

“No,” Clarke said. Her voice was hard. Dark. “I’m confused. I can’t be owned, Raven. I can’t give that freedom away. I can’t have someone making decisions for my life. That isn’t who I am anymore. But at the same time, I can’t be mad at him. I don’t want to do this. Pretending to imprint feels like I am betraying what Lexa and I had. I should hate him for making me do that, but I don’t. And I don’t understand why.”

“Clarke, I know you are sensitive about imprinting, believe me— the pain of that bond breaking is something I am all too familiar with. But Bellamy won’t hurt you. You know that. He won’t force a bond on you. He just wants to keep you safe.” Raven was quiet for a moment before adding. “Plus, you and I both know he is all kinds of hot for you.”

Bellamy felt his lips draw up at Raven’s words. He thought he’d been doing a decent job at hiding how much he wanted Clarke. Apparently not.

“That is just the thing Raven,” Clarke said. “I thought there was something here. Between us. I don’t know what it was: primal, a bit unhealthy, but real. I needed it to be real, but now, I am not so sure that it is.”

Bellamy didn’t think as he pushed into the room. He knew it would be obvious he’d been listening, but that didn’t stop him. It was instinct. A growl shook through the room. Raven was out of there before Clarke could stop her, leaving them alone again.

“I don’t know what this is either,” Bellamy said, moving to kneel next to Clarke’s place on the couch. She was stiff, her eyes wide. “I can’t get you out of my head. The animal part of me wants to mark you, take you, and keep you, even though the human part of me gets that that is all kinds of wrong. You possess every thought in my head. I don’t know why and I don’t know how, but I know it is real.”

Bellamy felt Clarke’s heart rate pick up. He smelled her scent change. Suddenly, Bellamy was kissing her. This wasn’t why he came after her. He was supposed to talk to her, not kiss her, but he couldn’t stop himself. The way her lips parted when he told her what they had was real, zapped all of his control. 

This kiss was desperate. Bellamy needed to feel Clarke. Feel under her skin into the animal that lay beneath. His wolf wanted to draw out the primal side of this woman. The kiss was all teeth and base need. Clarke responded instantly. Matching his darkness with her own. Bellamy’s mouth began exploring her. His teeth laying claim to her bottom lip, her jaw, the column of her throat. Clarke moaned out his name when he sucked on the sweet spot between her neck and shoulder.

Her hands were everywhere. Under his shirt, tearing at his back. Bellamy moved onto the couch, pulling her into his lap. She ground her hips into him, and he let out a string of curses. His cock strained against his jeans. He felt like a teenager again. Ready and desperate. For her. 

“This is dangerous,” Clarke panted out between kisses. Yes, it was. Whatever this was wasn’t going away. It wasn’t part of the plan. Every day, Bellamy felt like the fire between them was consuming him. Changing him. And it was terrifying. But right now, that didn’t matter. What mattered was the noise that Clarke made when he ground up against her. What mattered was the feel of her hardened nipples through her shirt, against his chest. What mattered was the way her perfect ass felt in his hands. What mattered was how goddamn right the danger of losing himself in her felt. He couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted everything she had to offer, and then when she was spent and stated, he wanted more. Clarke whined as his hands moved to her breasts.

“I don’t care,” Bellamy said into her mouth. Clarke went still at that. Her hands slipping out from under his shirt. She looked down into his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Maybe you should,” Clarke whispered, pushing off of Bellamy and moving away. Her mouth was swollen, and her hair was a mess. Bellamy moved to pull her back to him but stopped short at the look on her face. She looked hurt. A small pain radiated through his chest. 

“We can pretend,” Clarke said. Bellamy’s wolf bristled at the word. “But I need some time before I can do more than that. I know you are an alpha and I know whatever this is, it makes you want to protect me. But protection isn’t ownership, Bellamy. You don’t get to make choices for me, without me, and then make it better by kissing me senseless.”

And then she turned and walked away. Leaving Bellamy alone on his couch, wondering why she was always walking away from him; and why it always felt like a knife to the gut.


	4. Crumbling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke TRIES to stay away from Bellamy, she is just really bad at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGAIN, I am so sorry this took so long (my life is a rollercoaster right now).  
> As always, I didn't beta this, so I am SURE there are mistakes, please be kind. 
> 
> As a reward for the wait, here is some smut (also this is my first time writing smut soooo... I am trying lol)

Bellamy stood on the back porch of the main house watching his pack. The wolves were getting ready for a run. Four wolves lounged, panting, waiting for the rest of their friends to turn. 

Suddenly, a fifth wolf joined. This wolf was speckled with patches of beige and white fur. She was as beautiful as she was dominant. Two of the other wolves bowed their heads in submission as she passed. 

Bellamy was always shocked at how his wolf reacted to seeing Clarke’s. The beast inside of him went wild with need. 

Bellamy suppressed a growl when Jasper playfully pounced on Clarke. Neither he nor his wolf liked another male giving her that kind of attention. Still-- he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at the sight of her walking amongst his pack. A few weeks ago, Clarke’s wolf wouldn’t have been stable enough for this. Now, she walked among the pack offering a playful growl or nip, like it was natural to her. 

Bellamy looked up as Clarke’s wolf approached him. He was surprised. She still hadn’t forgiven him. Sure, she was going along with his plan, but he could tell she wasn’t happy about it. Something inside of him stung at the thought of Clarke being so opposed to pretending she was imprinting with him. But he knew that wasn’t really why she was mad. He’d made a significant decision about her life, without her. He tried to justify it. He was her Alpha. Alpha’s have the right to make decisions for their pack. But Clarke hadn’t been with a pack in so long, Bellamy knew that excuse wouldn’t have worked even if it was honest. Mostly, he just hated the rift it had reopened between them. Clarke didn’t hate him. He knew that. But for now, she kept her distance and Bellamy hated it. And that kiss. Bellamy knew there was no way he could let her go after that. 

She pushed her head against his knees. He reached down and stroked her soft fur and gave her a scratch between her ears. When she pushed his knee again, he gave her an exaggerated sigh and raised his brow at her. It was always easier for them like this. As wolves. Their wolves seemed to disregard every obstacle as petty and unimportant. As a wolf, Clarke was free to be with him, despite her human reservations. And Bellamy-- Well he would take what he could get.

She gave him a playful snap of her teeth and met his eyes. Clarke held his gaze. Bellamy’s wolf growled in approval. She was challenging him. Not a real challenge, nothing dangerous, but to a game. She wanted to play with him. A broad grin spread across his face. 

“Oh, is that how you are going to play it?” he asked the wolf in front of him. She let out a half-hearted snarl and turned and darted into the trees. Bellamy’s wolf ragged inside, begging to follow. Within seconds Bellamy shifted and was after her. Hell, he didn’t even take the time to get out of his clothes, leaving ribbons of ruined cloth behind him. 

Clarke was making Bellamy work to catch her. His wolf was all too happy to take part in the chase. She was fast, but Bellamy knew these woods better than she did. He herded her into a thicker section of the forest. When he had her exactly where he wanted, he pounced. 

The moment he pinned her, she slipped out of his hold. Wiggling and snarling. The wolves circled each other, assessing, planning. Without warning, Clarke attacked. Her teeth aiming for his side. Bellamy shook her off, letting out a low growl. 

It went on like that for a while. Attack, assess, attack. Each wolf getting in a bite or a scratch, never hard enough to harm, but hard enough to make their point. They were equal.  
A howl from the north grabbed Clarke’s attention for a moment, Bellamy saw his chance, and he sprung. She should know by now, he didn’t play fair.

With surprise on his side, he was able to wrestle Clarke to the ground and pin her by her neck. The wolf under him thrashed and writhed, trying to get away, but Bellamy held firm. Her paws kicked out, trying to push him off. He bit down a fraction harder. Finally, Clarke stopped struggling. She met his eyes one last time, then looked away with a quiet whine. It was surrender. He won that round. He let go of Clarke, giving her snout a playful lick. She rubbed her head on his side. He let out a satisfied rumble. 

Bellamy sniffed the air to locate the direction of the others. He turned to signal Clarke to follow, but as he did, she sprung biting into his throat causing them both to topple to the ground. Before he could react, she was up running off into the woods again. Both the wolf and Bellamy howled. The howl was a mixture of disbelief and excitement. 

Without a second thought, he darted after her again. 

****  
Clarke fidgeted at the counter. Jackson was enthusiastically talking about some new medical program run by shifters that he was thinking of applying for. Even though he wasn’t a healer like Clarke, he was an incredibly talented medic. Normally, Clarke would have been glad to listen, but today she was occupied. 

All Clarke could think about was the pair of eyes that were currently boring into her back. Bellamy Blake. Stupid, frustrating, brilliant, sexy, Bellamy Blake. Clarke was trying her best to avoid him, keep her distance, but it was difficult. 

The pack was going along with Bellamy’s plan. Even though it was a farce and everyone in the pack knew it, they had started to treat Clarke differently. As if she really were imprinting with their alpha. And Bellamy’s stare didn’t help things. Clarke felt like every time she moved, his possessive gaze grabbed her. It was both infuriating and intoxicating. 

It also didn’t help that no matter how had Clarke tried to rationalize, she wanted Bellamy more every day. 

Letting her wolf run with him, play with him, was just the first step on the road to self-destruction. Sooner or later she was going to give in, and that would be the beginning of the end for Clarke’s place in this pack. 

“Hey, Griffin,” Raven’s voice interrupted both Clarke’s thoughts and Jackson’s chatter. “Care to help me greet a familiar face?

Clarke had followed Raven to the front room of the Prometheus big house. A large grin broke out on her face when she saw who waited on them. 

“Fuck, the rumors are true then,” Roan Winters said. A lifetime ago, Roan had been the heir to the Azgeda pack. However, his mother had scarred him, banished him, and left him to die. After he'd recovered from his mother's brutality, Roan had briefly done a stint with the Arkadia pack, acting as a council ambassador. That is where Clarke met him. They developed an antagonistic kind of friendship. 

When she’d gone rogue, Roan was one of the few wolves who had actively sought her out. He’d done his own time as a lone wolf. He showed her the ropes and checked in on her from time to time. Clarke knew Roan recently settled down with a pack, she just hadn’t known it had been this one. 

Roan’s grin matched her own as he wrapped her up in a big hug. 

A menacing growl cut through the room. Clarke practically jumped out of Roan’s arms as she turned to look at Bellamy. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed, jaw clenched. He was obviously trying to keep his composure. 

“Shit,” Roan said. His eyes swiveled between Clarke and Bellamy, a new kind of smile pulling at his lips. “The rumors really are true. You send me up to negotiate with my bitch of a mother for two months, and I miss all the fun! So I'm guessing what I heard wasn’t just talk, you two really are imprinting?”

Nobody answered his question. It was a complicated situation, and with the way, the tension was slowly rising in the room; now did not seem like the time to explain. Roan’s brow furrowed, and he turned to Raven for clarification. 

“I’ll explain later,” Raven said, her voice low. 

“How do you two know each other?” Bellamy asked. His voice was so low, and each word clipped, Clarke knew it was taking every ounce of his control not to snap at them. His meaning was clear. He wanted to know why Roan felt he had the right to touch Clarke. Clarke should have bristled at the possessiveness, but instead, she shivered with desire.

Roan seemed to realize this as well, he lowered his eyes slightly when he answered. 

“Clarke is like a sister to me,” Roan said, trying to keep aggravation out his voice. He was an incredibly dominant wolf and submitting, even to his alpha, was not an easy task for him. 

Clarke felt vaguely touched by his words, she’d considered Roan family, it was good to know the feeling was mutual. However, right now, all she could concentrate on was Bellamy’s face. The moment Roan explained, relief filtered across Bellamy’s features. Someone who didn’t make a habit of looking at Bellamy might not have noticed, but Clarke did. She saw the way his jaw loosened, and his shoulders dropped. His eyes moved away from Roan and slid over to Clarke. She didn’t try to hide the fact that she had been watching him. 

“Give us a minute,” Clarke said quietly. Raven rolled her eyes but pulled Roan out of the room with her. 

“They are always kicking me out of the room so they can have their little ‘talks,’” she heard Raven mutter to Roan. 

Bellamy still stood in the doorway, and his arms were still crossed, but he looked more relaxed now. God, he was beautiful. Clarke wondered how anyone could focus around him. He was a force of nature. And while Clarke was sure that he would wreck her, she found herself caring less and less. 

“I understand,” Clarke said taking a step toward him. She half expected him to tense up, but he only raised a brow at her. “I saw you and Echo sparing the other day. I know you two used to be… involved.”

Bellamy didn’t deny it. Clarke hadn’t expected him to. She took another step toward him. They were almost touching now. She breathed his scent in, causing a shiver to work its way up her spine. She looked up at him, and for a second her breath caught in her throat. 

“She made you laugh. And at that moment, I wanted to rip her throat out,” Clarke whispered. The overwhelming feeling of jealousy had shocked Clarke at the time. But she couldn’t deny it. Telling him this was dangerous. It would change things. But she had a primal urge to comfort him, to let him know, he wasn’t alone with these confusing emotions and urges. “I wanted to be the one to make you laugh.”

She expected Bellamy’s eyes to darken, maybe fill with lust. But instead, they softened, the corner of his mouth turning upward. He reached out and ran a thumb over Clarke’s jaw. He looked relieved. Happy. Clarke felt something dangerous rise up inside of her. 

“I think the others are going for a run,” Bellamy said. “Want to run with me?”

Clarke felt herself nod. She always wanted to run with Bellamy. She wanted to do everything with Bellamy.

 

****

Bellamy walked into the dining room and stopped short. Clarke, Raven, and Echo stood by the table dressed to impress. 

Bellamy’s mouth watered at Clarke’s appearance. She wore a black bodycon dress and black stilettos. Every curve was on display, perfectly. Every sinful inch of her. 

Bellamy had realized something after their last run. He didn’t want Clarke to leave. Ever. 

“Where the hell are you all going?” Bellamy asked, fully aware that a mix of lust and irritation was leaking into his voice. 

“Dancing,” Raven said with a shrug. 

“Alone?” Bellamy asked again. He addressed his Beta, but his eyes were on Clarke. 

“I’m your Beta,” Raven said. He could hear the role in her eyes. “Clarke is one of the most dominant wolves I have ever met, and only a suicidal person would fuck with Echo.” Echo nodded approvingly. 

“It isn’t safe right now, especially not with Cage’s men looking for Clarke,” Bellamy said again. He knew he sounded ridiculous, Raven was right, but he didn’t care. 

“Listen here, Nerd,” Clarke said. He had to stop himself from grinning at the nickname. Hearing “Nerd” come out of her mouth was a good sign. A good sign that somehow managed to turn him on. Damn, he was pathetic when it came to this girl. “We are big girl wolves. We will be fine.”

With that, the three women stalked out of the room. Bellamy let out a series of curses as he grabbed his phone and dialed. 

“Miller, grab Jackson and Roan,” He ordered. “We are going dancing.”

When they entered the shifter bar, Bellamy sighed. He hated places like this. Miller and Jackson walked beside him, while Roan stood behind him. Roan was a reasonably new addition to the pack, he’d joined late last year, and while Bellamy found him to be insufferable, he was a good enforcer. Plus, he had connections all across the shifter world. Connections that Bellamy needed in order for his pack to thrive.  
He’d invited him tonight as a peace offering. After Bellamy's little display of jealousy when he saw Roan and Clarke hugging, Bellamy was in damage control mode. He knew he had acted crazy. Hell, he knew he was acting crazy in the moment. He just couldn’t stop himself. Where Clarke was concerned, he wasn’t sure he’d ever really be in control again.

Bellamy scanned the dance floor until he found Clarke’s form. She danced between Raven and Echo, hands in the air, hips rocking to the beat of the music. 

“My mate and I are going to get a drink,” Miller said over the music. With that, he grabbed Jackson’s hand and headed toward the bar. 

Roan looked as uncomfortable as one could possibly be in a club. Ask this man to disable a pack’s foundation and he would have it done within a week. Ask him to go dancing, and the poor guy looked like he was being asked to rob a bank with no prep time. Actually, Roan might find that more enjoyable. 

“Try not to look so awkward, Roan, it is okay to just relax from time to time,” Bellamy said, with a mocking smirk. Okay, he was projecting. Bellamy didn’t feel any more ‘in place’ that Roan did. Roan chuckled. 

“You are one to talk, sir,” Roan said the last word with a perfect mix of sarcasm and disdain. Bellamy ignored him. Another alpha would have snapped at the disrespect, but Bellamy had other things on his mind. A man, who was in Bellamy’s opinion unnecessarily tall, had pulled Clarke against him. 

Without thinking, Bellamy crossed the room to the dancefloor. Before the guy realized what happened, Bellamy pulled Clarke away from him and into his arms. 

“What the hell, man,” Anger flared in the tall man's eyes but the look Bellamy gave him stopped him from saying anything. 

“This is my Chosen, back the fuck off,” Bellamy said through clenched teeth. The man’s eyes widened, and he practically ran off the dance floor. Bellamy looked down at Clarke, expecting to see anger in her eyes, but something else was there instead. Something a lot more interesting: excitement. 

“Bell,” Clarke said, surprise coloring her features. She felt so damn good pressed against him. 

“Hey princess,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Dance with me.” Tentatively Clarke put her arms around his neck. He wrapped his own around her waist. 

They moved with the rhythm of the music, but they were in their own little world. His hands moved lower to cup her ass. Clarke pushed herself against Bellamy. With every grind, Bellamy felt his cock harden. With every sway, he sensed Clarke’s arousal growing. 

Bellamy let his mouth fall into the crook of her neck. He pressed small kisses there, relishing the way it made her gasp. 

“Bellamy,” Clarke gasped into his hear, her hands snaking up into his hair. At the sound of his name on her lips, he stilled. 

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand. “We are leaving.” He half expected her to put up a fight; instead, her eyes filled with lust and she nodded. His wolf howled with pleasure. 

Without saying a word, Bellamy led Clarke out of the bar and placed her in his car. The others would have to carpool with Raven and Echo.

They didn’t speak on the drive home. They didn’t even look at one another. The tension was so thick between them, it was as if any sound, move, would break the world apart. As soon as they got to the house, Bellamy grabbed her hand again and led her through the hall. He pulled her into his room and then turned to look at her. 

She was flushed and wide-eyed, but the moment her eyes met his, her gaze darkened. He rushed her, pushing her against the door. 

“You sure do like pushing me against walls, huh,” she said. Her voice was deep and breathless. 

“Fuck, yes,” Bellamy sighed. Then he was on her. This kiss was different from the others. The first one had been instinctual. Primal. The second had been desperate. This one was deeper. He knew Clarke now. He didn’t just want to fuck her. He wanted her. 

He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and bit down hard. He felt her moan into his mouth. Good. His slipped his knees between her thighs and pushed against her. He felt her grind down against his knee. Damn, she was hot. So fucking hot. Every noise she made turned him on. Every caress was perfect. It was like she was made for him. His hands explored her skin. First the column of her throat, then her breasts through her clothes. Suddenly, he pulled his mouth away a looked her in the eye. 

“This isn’t a one night stand Clarke,” he said. “I want you. I am keeping you.” His wolf nodded in approval. 

“Bellamy,” Clarke said. There was an unease in her voice that Bellamy didn’t like. Her hands pulled away from him and wrapped uncomfortably around her chest.

“What’s wrong?” Bellamy asked, suddenly concerned. Unsure of her sudden change. His hands cradled her face. Rubbing reassuring circles into her skin. “This isn’t about Cage, this isn’t about pretending for me. This isn’t just about keeping you safe. I want this. You. For real.” 

Genuine pain flashed in Clarke’s eyes. Bellamy went still. A panic that he’d misread something began bubbling inside of him. 

“I just,” she sighed. “I’m no good. You shouldn’t want this. You shouldn’t want me.” Bellamy looked at her in disbelief. How could this fucking goddess in front of him think she wasn’t good enough? 

“What do you mean?” He asked, reaching up to stroke her cheek. She leaned into his touch.

“Lexa,” Clarke said, her voice shaky. “She died while we were in the process of imprinting. I can’t go through that again,” Clarke said. “What if I can’t give you what you need? You want to be with someone like that?”

Instead of answering Bellamy kissed her again. Softer this time. It wasn’t demanding. It was assuring.

“I just need you,” Bellamy said into her mouth, “Whatever you can give me.” Clarke stilled. And for one terrible second Bellamy was afraid. Afraid that Clarke was going to leave. Slip out of his room, and they would add this to the list of things they didn’t talk about. 

Instead, after the most prolonged and terrifying moment of his life, Clarke pulled him down to her. Hard. Her kisses were delivered in a frenzy. Her hands roamed his chest and back. Bellamy growled appreciatively when her nails scraped his skin under his shirt. 

Clarke went for the button on his jeans, but Bellamy stopped her hands. 

“No,” He said. Clarke tried to reach again, but Bellamy pinned her hands in his own. Clarke let out a low snarl. He wanted her. God, he wanted her. But he didn’t want this to happen just because Clarke was trying to convince herself she could do this. “No Clarke. Not when you are hurting. Not when you are unsure about this. When I fuck you and make no mistake princess, I plan on fucking you; it is going to be when you are completely sure about us. Understand?” 

Clarke’s gaze hardened. 

“So what, you just brought me in her to disappoint me?” Clarke challenged. She was testing him, trying to edge him on. Bellamy’s face changed into a dark smile. 

“Oh,” he said. His knee spread Clarke’s legs further apart. “I still plan on ensuring you are thoroughly satisfied.” He brought her hands above her head.

“Keep your hands right here for me, baby,” he whispered into her ear. When Clarke immediately started to bring them back down, he pinned them again. He made eye contact, daring her to disobey again. Clare kept her hands above her head. “Good girl,” he whispered. 

His hand slipped under Clarke’s dress and began rubbing teasing circles on her thighs. The noises that flooded out of Clarke’s mouth nearly drove him insane. Finally, he slipped his hands under her underwear. 

“Shit Clarke,” he cursed. “You're so fucking wet. All for me, huh, baby?” 

“I don’t know,” Clarke gasped, as his fingers teased her folds. “That guy at the bar was pretty hot; maybe it is for him.” Bellamy stilled as a snarl ripped through him. She’d said it to challenge him, to bait him. Damned if it wasn’t working, but two could play that game. 

“Oh really?” He asked, stilling his hand. “Well then, maybe I should stop. I’d hate to get in the way of you and bar guy.” 

“Don’t you dare,” Clarke said, through clenched teeth. She tried to grind against his hand, but Bellamy stopped her, pulling farther away. 

“Then who are you wet for?” He asked again. Clarke was quiet for a moment.

“You,” she finally gritted out. Bellamy smiled at that, a dark, sexy smile. Without warning, he slid two fingers inside of her. 

“Fuck,” Clarke gasped and the immediate pleasure. 

“Soon, baby, I promise,” Bellamy said. He used his claws to slash through the fabric of Clarks dress with his free hand. He’d buy her a new one. Then he pushed her bra down. She had the most perfect tits he had ever seen. Within seconds, he was spreading kisses on her breast, while he fucked her with his hands. Clarke was moaning encouragements, her hips thrusting against his hands. 

“Good girl,” he said again before he took one of her nipples into her mouth. Clarke’s back arched as he bit down on the nipple in his mouth. He felt her hands drop to his hair. He was going to have to punish her for that later, but right now, all he cared about was the way her pussy was tightening around his fingers. 

“Bell, God, I am so close,” she whined. Bellamy pulled his mouth away from her chest and claimed her mouth again. 

“Come on Clarke,” he whispered in between kisses. “Don’t you want to come for me? Fuck baby, I bet you look like heaven when you come apart.” Clarke nodded and writhed in his hands. He used his thumb to play her clit while he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her. 

“Look at me,” he said when Clarke closed her eyes. Her eyes snapped open. He tangled his hand in her hair. “Come now,” he demanded. With a scream, that sounded half like a mix of his name and god, she clamped around him and tumbled over the edge. 

It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. 

Bellamy kissed her neck gently as she recovered from her orgasm. When her breathing slowed, he backed up and took her in: her dress was ripped open pushed up around her waist, bra and underwear pushed down, hair a mess, and her lips were swollen. Fuck, this woman would be the death of him. 

“Get naked,” he commanded.


	5. Sins, both good and bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke wants Bellamy, now she just needs to figure out if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Luckily, Bellamy is there to help. Also, Cage stops by for a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Major Character from the show is revealed to be dead in this chapter. WARNING)
> 
> This chapter is very heavy on feelings and smut. Have fun.

Clarke stretched groggily on the large bed. She stilled when she felt someone behind her. The night before came flooding back to her. 

The way they danced at the bar. Bellamy making her cum against his bedroom door. And everything that came after.

Much to her dismay, he didn’t fuck her, just like he promised he wouldn’t. He did, however, lay her down on her his bed, naked and still dripping, and settle between her thighs to feast on her. 

“Fuck,” he’d whispered as he kissed her inner thigh. “I know I said you looked good enough to eat, but you taste even fucking better.” If anyone else had said that to her, it would have sounded like a bad line. But when Bellamy said it, his wicked smile peaking up at her, Clarke nearly came again on the spot. 

Clarke also found out he was even more dominant in bed than he was as an alpha. He didn’t seem to mind that so was she, but he pushed her on more than one occasion the night before. Testing, just how far she would submit to him. After he made her cum, more times than she could count, he joined her in bed and told her to go to sleep.

Clarke wanted him to fuck her. When he’d gotten undressed for bed, she nearly lost it. If her wolf weren’t so proud, she might have begged. His toned chest paired with the hard length, outline visible through his briefs, nearly drove Clarke crazy. 

Despite how badly she wanted him, Clarke understood why he didn’t take her. The intensity in his eyes when he said he was keeping her, scared her. After Lexa died, Clarke vowed she would never be that close to another wolf again. But she knew, if she did this with Bellamy, that vow would be broken. Somehow, without telling him, Bellamy understood what she was feeling and didn’t want to fuck Clarke until she was ready to accept what they were: permanent. 

Her wolf was not so understanding. The sorry creature was not pleased with Clarke. Her wolf had no doubts and clearly thought Clarke was crazy for not being 100% on board. But, it wasn’t Bellamy that Clarke was worried about. When Lexa first died, Clarke lost it. She didn’t have a pack to fall back on, and the pain nearly killed her. It left her pretty fucked up. She didn’t want to put that on Bellamy. Plus, if Bellamy ever met his True-Mate, Clarke wasn’t sure she could survive losing two people she loved. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Bellamy said wrapping his arms around her. Clarke turned to look at him. Fuck, he was beautiful. 

The morning sun filtered through the blinds in his room, leaving delicate patterns of light across his skin. His hair fell in perfect disarray around his face, which was almost too pretty for Clarke to handle. 

“I love your freckles,” she said without thinking, lifting a finger to trace them. He rewarded her vulnerability with the kind of smile people would gladly go to war to protect. 

“Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know,” he said. It wasn’t an order. Just a request. 

“I like to draw and paint,” Clarke said. She always kept a notepad full of doodles on her beside and anytime she settled down for more than a few weeks, she would paint. 

“I’d like to see some of it,” Bellamy said. His hands were sliding over her side slowly. It was distracting. 

“I drew you,” Clarke admitted. Bellamy raised an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth the respond when his cell ringer cut him off. 

“Yes,” Bellamy said into the phone. “Be right there.” 

As they walked into the kitchen to grab breakfast, they were met with a mixture of curious and smug eyes. Clarke sighed, not knowing how to explain this, but Bellamy took care of it. He grabbed her, cupped her chin possessively and kissed her deeply. Wolf whistles and cheers erupted as he deepened the kiss. Bastard might as well have placed a brand on her forehead: Property of Dickhead DO NOT TOUCH. Clarke bit his lip hard, forcing him to pull away. 

“Entitled ass,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear her, but she couldn’t stop the small smile from coming to her lips. A part of her was proud he wanted everyone to know that they were-- whatever they were. Bellamy only winked at her before going to grab a coffee. 

“Finally,” Raven said, as she took a bite of her bagel. Clarke sent her a vulgar gesture. 

Clarke was running drills with the other wolves when Raven lost patience and asked. 

“So, was it everything you hoped?” Clarke pretended she hadn’t heard the question. She continued to run, ignoring the groan that escaped her friend's lips. 

“Come on, at least tell me the sex was good,” Raven said. Again, Clarke said nothing. She concentrated on bringing her knees up to her chest as she jumped over obstacles on the drill course. 

“As Beta, I need to know the relationship status of the members of my pack, it is part of my job,” Raven nearly whined. Finally, Clarke stopped and looked at Raven. Pulling the Beta card was low. 

“Okay look, we didn’t have sex, but yes, what did happen was amazing,” Clarke said quietly. She did not need the entire pack to know her business. 

“Wait, you two didn’t have sex?” Raven asked, clearly confused. “Why not?”

“I freaked out,” Clarke said with a shrug. “I told him about Lexa, about how I didn’t know if I could do this, and he said he wanted to wait until I was sure.” She tried to downplay the emotion behind what happened last night, but Raven saw right through her. 

“Listen, Clarke,” Raven said. “I haven’t seen Bellamy take this much of an interest in someone since his sister died.” 

Clarke new the story. Anytime a wolf went feral, unable to shift back to human form and consumed with bloodlust; the story got around. Octavia was an Alpha of her own pack when she went feral. Her true mate died, something that could kill a wolf. Instead, Octavia lost it. The council ordered that she be put down. Bellamy never talked about his sister, so Clarke never brought it up. Out of everyone, she knew somethings were so terrible, they should stay buried. 

“I know losing someone sucks. But I have never seen Bellamy like this. He is gone for you girl. You're my friend, but he is my Alpha. Don’t hurt him, Clarke. You need to figure your shit out because we both know you would be happier together.” With that Raven ran off to finish her drills. 

Two days later, Clarke was still playing what Raven said over in her mind. Luckily, Bellamy left on pack business, so she had time to sort through everything. 

The facts were as followed:  
Clarke wanted Bellamy.  
Clarke genuinely cared about Bellamy  
Clarke was scared  
Clarke didn’t want to hurt again  
Clarke didn’t know if she could resist him now that she’d gotten a taste  
Clarke wasn’t sure she could truly love someone again  
Clarke wanted to love someone again  
Bellamy would be easy to love

Now all she had to do was find out which set of facts were more important. 

It didn’t help that Bellamy sent her a plethora of dirty messages while he was away:

_Is that bite mark I left on your thigh still there?_

_Tonight, when you are in bed, try not to think of the way my fingers feel inside of you while my tongue is on your clit._

_Next time I have you naked I want to bend you over my desk and take you._

When she got the last one, she sent him back a text that said he was delusional if she thought he was going to get her to bend over and submit like that. 

All she got back was: _You’ll see._

Entitled Bastard. 

By the time he got back, Clarke had made up her mind. It might be the most selfish decision she’d ever made, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. 

“Hey Princess,” he said as he strolled into the living room. He looked like walking porn with his tight grey t-shirt and jeans that fit him perfectly. 

Clarke got up and crossed the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He responded immediately, forcing her mouth open and deepening the kiss. His arms wrapped around her tightly. 

When he pulled away, he had a satisfied smile on his lips. 

“Miss me?” he asked. Clarke nodded. The smile he gave her did something funny to her heart. 

“Bellamy, Clarke,” Raven said as she barged into the room. “There is are some people here that need to see you.”

“Tell them we’re busy,” Bellamy said, running a thumb over Clarke’s mouth. 

“It’s Cage Wallace and one of his enforcers,” Raven said, her voice grave. Both Bellamy and Clarke’s heads snapped to attention. 

“What?” Clarke demanded. Weeks ago, Clarke had written to both Cage and the Council that there was no way in hell he was her mate because she was imprinting with Bellamy. They hadn’t heard anything since. The fact that Cage would show up in another Alpha’s territory unannounced was beyond disrespectful. She could feel anger radiation off of Bellamy. 

“Where?” He asked, his voice too calm. 

“Your office,” Raven said. Bellamy turned his head back to Clarke. 

“Is there any way I could ask you to stay in your room, while I talked to him?” Bellamy’s hands were tight on her sides. 

“Nope,” she said. Bellamy sighed. 

“Okay, together.”

****

Bellamy Blake hated Cage Wallace. From the first moment they met, Bellamy saw Cage for the disgusting creep he was. Bellamy was in his early 20s the first time they met. Their packs were allied in a larger dispute, and Bellamy had had the ‘privilege’ of working closely with Cage. Cage had been older, meaner, and utterly useless. It didn’t look like much had changed. 

Since the moment Bellamy had entered the room, flanked by Clarke, Raven, and Miller, Bellamy had to fight the urge to rip Cage’s throat out right here and now. 

“Why are you here?” Bellamy bit out. The bastard had the gall to look offended by his tone. 

“I am here,” Cage said, his slimy voice taking time with each word. “To claim my mate.”

“I’m not your fucking mate,” Clarke said, sounding more annoyed than angry. Cage ignored her and addressed Bellamy again. The obvious disrespect toward Clarke had Bellamy’s wolf raging inside. 

“The council has already said they won’t stand in my way of taking her,” Cage said with a grin. 

“So they are going to help you kidnap her?” Bellamy asked. “Because that is the only way you are getting Clarke.” Bellamy’s wolf growled in approval. Clarke was not leaving. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did,” Cage said, letting his gaze slide to Clarke. “After the mess she made, they know she needs to be placed under firm leadership. And we both know this pack doesn’t have a good history.” 

The snarls that ripped through the room at that comment made Cage’s enforcer shift. Bringing up, the pack’s past, was a sensitive subject. 

“Easy now,” Cage said with a roll of his eyes. “When Clarke healed that human, she lost all credibility with the Council. I guarantee if it comes to war, they will be on my side.”

Bellamy tried to keep the surprise off of his face. After that first day, he hadn’t asked Clarke why the council ordered her to rejoin a pack. He wanted her to tell him when she trusted him enough to do so, but he never expected this. Using shifter magic on a human was expressly forbidden. Humans were wary of Shifters, using any magic on them could pose a considerable threat. If the humans felt threatened by what the shifters could really do, it had the potential to trigger a full-blown war between the two races. 

He felt Clarke step forward. Dominance and anger radiated off her in bounds. 

“I saved a child who was dying,” She said through clenched teeth. “I would do it again. If the council wants to do anything about it, they can, but I will never apologize or feel guilty for saving a child’s life.” Bellamy felt a swell of pride for the woman next to him. He always knew she was special, but this confirmed it. While all healers felt a compulsion to help the wounded, many would have resisted the urge to save a human child, for fear of what their punishment might be. Not his Clarke. 

“You are my mate,” Cage growled, addressing her for the first time. “You will not speak to me that way, and you will come with me.” 

“Clarke is mine,” Bellamy shouted. He hadn’t meant to, but hearing that vile man claim her was too much. His wolf would not let another wolf claim what was his. Nobody could take her. Fuck, Bellamy didn’t care if her True fucking Mate walked through the door, nobody else could have her. “We are imprinting.”

“No you're just the bastard that is fucking what belongs to me,” Cage stepped forward, but Raven and Miller were on it intercepting his path to Bellamy and Clarke. 

“If you are so worried about your mate,” Miller said sarcastically. “Why don’t you challenge Bellamy?”

“Because he knows he can’t win,” Raven answered before Cage could respond. Murder danced in Cage’s eyes. 

“I will be back for you, Clarke,” he said. “I’ll bring a whole damn army if I have too, but I am taking what belongs to me.”

Cage’s words were still echoing in his head later that night. The entire pack was tense. 

The pack ate in relative silence. Something extremely unusual for his wolves. Clarke sat next to him. Stiff. Bellamy ran his fingertip across her shoulder blades in slow, comforting, loops. All the while, a new type of anxiety began to grow inside Bellamy. He couldn’t help but feel Clarke was hurting. 

“So,” Murphy’s voice drawled. “You saved a kid and that is why the council was up your ass?” Clarke nodded, but Bellamy could feel her tension grow.  
“What a letdown, I was hoping it was because of your magical death powers,” Murphy said, causing Bellamy to choke on his roast. But Clarke smiled with real, warm affection lighting up her face. 

A roll shot across the table and hit Murphy in the face. Raven flashed an innocent smile.

“Why don’t you put something in that mouth besides your foot,” she said, her voice saccharine sweet. Murphy just narrowed his eyes and launched a spoonful of mashed potatoes at Raven. He missed but managed to nail Roan, who sat to Raven’s left, in the chest. The room stilled. 

Suddenly, Roan burst into laughter. The sound was so shocking coming out of Roan, a man who Bellamy had never seen do more than smirk, that it zapped all of the tension out of the room. In seconds the entire table followed suit, snorting and clutching their sides. 

“What yourself on our next run, Murphy,” Roan said after he calmed down. Bellamy turned to give Clarke a conspiratory roll of the eyes but stopped when he saw her expression. It was full of awe as she took in their pack. He threw his arm around her and kissed her hair. Her sigh of pleasure should have soothed the anxiety bubbling inside, but it didn’t. 

After dinner, nearly the entire pack crammed into the game room to blow off some steam, but Clarke was suspiciously missing. The anxiety he felt earlier doubled. Something, he wasn’t sure what, was telling him that Clarke wasn’t okay. The meeting with Cage had taken more out of her than she let on. He needed to help her. To soothe her. Bellamy tracked her scent to her room. He knocked, but there was no answer. He knew she was in there, though, he could smell her. 

He opened the door but stopped as soon as he saw what she was doing. 

“No,” Bellamy said, taking in her open duffle. Half packed clothes took up space on her bed. “You are not leaving.”

“Bellamy,” Clarke said, not meeting his gaze. “I can’t ask your pack to fight for me. I have to go, to protect them.”

Bellamy crossed the room and ripped the t-shirt she was folding out of her hand. 

“I said no.” He would not let her go. Not over a piece of garbage like Cage. “You are mine, and you are staying here with me.”

“I am nobody's but my own, Bellamy,” she said stepping away from him. 

“Fuck that,” Bellamy said, pulling her to him. “You are mine, and I am yours. End of story. I’m past the pretending. I want you. For the long run.”

Bellamy watched as Clarke closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. 

“So what is going to happen when you meet your True Mate?” Clarke asked, insecurity seeping into her voice. 

“I don’t care about my True Mate, I want you, Clarke,” Bellamy said again. He didn’t know how to make her understand, at this point, he wouldn’t even recognize his True Mate, Clarke was all he could see, and that would never change. 

“I still can’t ask you to put your pack in danger for me. Tonight they were so happy, so full of love for each other and laughter. What kind of person would I be if I allowed my issues to ruin that? I can’t do that to them,” she whispered. A tear running down her face. 

Bellamy pulled her down on the bed with him, cradling her in his lap. She struggled to pull away, but he held her firmly in place. She needed to hear him out. 

“Do you know what this pack used to be called?” Bellamy asked. When Clarke shook her head, he continued. “The Anótatos Pack. That is Greek for supreme. Our old Alpha, Pike, was an extremist. He filled the pack with hate and bigotry. We did terrible things for that pack. Things I can’t even think about now without getting sick. He was a sick bastard, but I didn’t see it until it was too late. He is the one who killed my sister’s mate.” Bellamy heard Clarke gulp. He looked straight ahead as he continued, unable to make eye contact. He never talked about Octavia, the memory was too painful. But Clarke needed to understand. 

“She killed Pike after that. But losing Lincoln, it destroyed her. Once her vengeance was stated, there was nothing human left in her. She went feral. She couldn’t turn back from her wolf form and anytime anyone approached she attacked.” Bellamy took a long breath. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth and he could barely breathe. He felt Clarke’s hand begin to rub reassuring circles on his arm. He pulled strength from her to say what needed to be said next. 

“The council made me take care of it. Well, you know what has to happen to feral wolves. I tried to look at it as helping her, relieving her of her suffering. But it broke something in me. I killed my sister.” Bellamy didn’t try to hide the tears running down his face. When Clarke looked up at him, he half expected to see revulsion. Instead, he saw a sad, quiet understanding. He buried his head in her hair, planting a firm kiss in the golden curls before continuing. 

“After all the hell we went through, the pack was in ruins. We had no Alpha, no plan, and the entire shifter world thought we were unredeemable. We were the monsters among monsters. When it fell to me to become the new Alpha, I vowed to create a pack where that kind of violence and hate could never thrive again. Where wolves felt safe. My pack would never again be a group determined to divide shifters. We would become something good and strong. We would protect our own and create a community where everyone could find their place.” Finally, Bellamy shifted his gaze to Clarke, who was looking at him in a way he’d never seen before. “You are part of that pack now Clarke, even if I wasn’t in love with you, I would fight for you. And so would every wolf in this pack. This is who we are now. We don’t leave our people behind or abandon them. We are a family.”

Clarke shifted, so she was straddling his lap. Her eyes were wide. She reached up and ran her hand along Bellamy’s jaw. 

“You love me?” She asked, her voice barely a whisper. Bellamy shuddered. How could she not know?

“Of course, I love you,” he said. 

****

Bellamy Blake loves me. The thought made her wolf purr in approval. 

Bellamy watched her, as Clarke took it in. 

“I love you too,” she said, after a moment. 

“Clarke,” he started. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t feel it yet, we have time.”

“No,” Clarke said, putting her finger to his lips. “I love you. I denied it to myself because I was scared. Scared to be with someone. Scared I’d lose you. But I am not scared anymore. I love you too.”

Clarke barely finished the sentence before Bellamy’s mouth was on hers. Kissing her, drinking her in, consuming every part of her. Clothes began flying. In a matter of seconds, Clarke was naked pushed down on her bed. 

Bellamy stood above her, his eyes roaming her entire body with greedy intent. 

“You are so goddamn beautiful,” he whispered. As he undressed, slowly the bastard, Clarke lost the ability to speak. And when he pulled off his briefs, her mouth went dry. Shit, he was impressive. 

“Bellamy,” she whined moving toward him. But he blocked her, pinning her back to the bed. Her wolf growled at his dominance. She wasn’t going to let him control her without a fight. 

“Come on baby,” Bellamy whispered into the skin of her collarbone. “We both know you are dominant and strong, but in here, someone has to give. Why don’t you let me take care of you, princess? Let me make you feel really good. All you have to do is be a good girl.” 

Bellamy pressed wet kisses on her breast. Clarke moaned as he pulled one nipple into his mouth.

“I am not some submissive pup,” she said, trying to sound firm despite the distraction of his mouth. His kisses traveled further south. 

“I know that,” he said to the skin of her thighs. “You wouldn’t be the woman I loved if you were. But you need to trust me, Baby. Let me lead.” He punctuated his sentence with a slow lick up her slit. She nearly bucked off the bed at the feeling.

Clarke looked down at him, at the look in his eyes. He needed this, she realized. He needed her to show him just how much she trusted him. To show him, that no matter what they had done, she felt safe with him. 

Slowly, Clarke nodded. A wicked glint lit up his face. Bellamy kissed his way back up her body, leaving her a puddle of need.

“Bellamy, give me what I want,” she demanded. Bellamy made three clicks with his mouth. 

“Come on Clarke; you just said you were going to let me lead.” Finally, Bellamy lined his cock up at Clarke’s entrance. She tried to push herself on it, but he held her down. 

“Tell me you are mine,” He said in a hoarse whisper. “Tell me what I need to hear, and I’ll make you cum harder than you ever have Clarke.”

“Dammit Bellamy,” Clarke tried bucking again. Bellamy pushed slowly, not enough to put himself inside of her, but enough to drive Clarke crazy. The pressure was going to kill her.

“Come on baby, do it for me,” Bellamy said bending down to kiss her neck. 

“Yours,” Clarke gritted out. Bellamy didn’t push in, however, but continued his assault on her neck. 

“What was that, Clarke?” He asked as his teeth scraped the column of her throat. Clarke wished she could say she wasn’t enjoying this, but the dominance radiating off of him was nearly enough to send her over the edge. 

“I’m yours, dammit, I’m yours, now fuck me,” Clarke shouted. She needed this man more than she’d ever needed anyone in her life. If she didn’t have him in her body this moment, something inside of her was going to crack, break, and then what would be left of her?

“With pleasure,” he whispered. He slammed into her as he bit down on her neck. Clarke nearly came immediately at the intense mix of pain and pleasure. The fit was better than she could have dreamed. 

“It was like you were made for me,” Bellamy said, as he pumped into her. She lifted her hips to move with him. This was heaven. Nothing had ever felt like this. This right. This feeling was what fucking fairytales tried to explain. 

Clarke scraped her hands up his back, receiving an encouraging moan. After an embarrassingly short time, Clarke felt her orgasm rising inside of her. When it hit she could barely see, it was so intense. 

Bellamy didn’t slow down his pace. In fact, he flipped her over onto her stomach and continued. Usually, this submissive position would have bothered her, but she was too lost in ecstasy to care. 

“Fuck baby,” He whispered into the skin of her back. Clarke felt bite’s and kisses being pressed into her skin. 

“God, Bellamy,” She shouted. “I’m going to come again.” Suddenly Bellamy slowed to a near stop. 

She could hear the bastard’s smile when he said, “Say please.”

“I do not beg,” she cursed over her shoulder. She tried to move her ass back to get some friction, anything, but Bellamy moved further back. 

“Come on Clarke; you know you need this,” he said. “Tell me what I want to hear.” Bellamy continued his agonizingly slow pace, keeping Clarke on the brink. She doesn't know how long he teased her like that, pushing in painfully slow only to pull out before she could enjoy the feeling of him inside of her, but she couldn’t take it anymore. If she didn’t cum, she was going to go crazy. 

“Please, Bellamy,” she cried out as he pulled out again. 

“That’s my girl,” was all he said before he surged back into her. His pace was back up, hard and fast, he reached around to rub her clit. “Come for me Clarke, come now.” 

Her second orgasm was even more powerful than her first. Clarke felt it ripple through her entire body. Two pumps later, Bellamy joined her over the edge, biting down hard on her right shoulder. 

The last thing she heard as she drifted off to sleep was Bellamy whispering that he loved her.


	6. Home, by any other name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama + Smut... Bellamy and Clarke figure some things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took me six months to write. My life is crazy and I am bad at writing when I am stressed. Thank you for those who still wanted this content, you are the reason I am back!

As Bellamy stretched out on the bed, a wonderful dream flooding his head. In the dream he told Clarke he loved her--and she loved him back. In the dream, he showed her how much he loved her. He had the privilege of knowing her body. In the dream, she gave him all the beautiful noises from her soul, as he kissed her into oblivion. In the dream, he was in heaven. 

Bellamy stretched, and a pinch of pain stopped him mid-movement. He cracked open his eyes and looked down to his abdomen. Scratch marks decorated his abs and chest. 

A grin broke out on Bellamy’s face. No. It wasn’t a dream. He was still in Clarke’s room. Everything that he had dreamed up was real. He'd held her. She'd marked him. If someone asked him to describe the joy he’d felt holding her as he fell asleep, Bellamy knew any set of words would fall short. 

A moment later that joy was gone when he looked around Clarke’s room and realized… Clarke was gone. 

****

When Clarke entered the kitchen, Raven gave her a genuinely devious look. 

“So, from the sounds, I heard coming from your room last night,” Raven said while offering Clarke a mug of hot coffee, “You figured your shit out.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at Raven, but a grin was firmly stuck on her face. 

“Give me an update on the Cage situation,” she said before taking a long sip from her mug. 

“Be careful ordering me around Princess, you aren’t my Alpha female yet,” Raven said with a laugh before she launched into an update anyway. Raven had been joking, but her words hit Clarke like a brick. Bellamy wanted them to imprint. He hadn’t said it, but somehow Clarke knew instinctively that was what he wanted. That meant Clarke would be his Chosen. As his chosen she’d have to stay with the Prometheus Pack, forever. 

The thought didn’t frighten her, the way she expected it to. Instead, she found herself smiling. 

“Earth to Clarke,” Raven said, waving her hand in the air. “Did you get any of that?”

“No, sorry, Raven, I zoned for a moment. Could you start--” Clarke trailed off when Raven’s eyes widened at something behind her. Clarke whipped her head around to see Bellamy in the doorway. His shirtless figure stood at the entrance. His scratched chest rose and fell quickly as if he was panting and his eyes were wild. Feral. 

Clarke was instantly both on alert and excited. 

“Raven, out,” Bellamy growled. It sounded more beast than man. Clarke had never seen her friend move so fast. In a fraction of a moment, Clarke and Bellamy were alone in the big kitchen. 

“You were gone.” Clarke was confused. When she’d woken up, sore in all the right places and with a need for coffee, she hadn’t been able to wake Bellamy up. He’d looked so peaceful--happy, stretched out on her bed. Instead, she’d kissed him on the cheek and slipped out so he could get some sleep. He deserved it.

“Bellamy,” Clark started, pushing herself up off the barstool she sat on. “I just came to the kitchen, I was—”Another growl cut her off. This was Bellamy’s wolf she was dealing with right now. He might look like a man, but instinct had taken over. 

Bellamy walked, no stalked, over to Clarke. She felt the terrible blend of emotion pulsing off of him in waves: anger, suspicion, hurt, and as always primal need. When he was close enough to touch her, he stopped short. 

“I thought you left,” he said, his eyes casting a golden reflection. The accusation cut Clarke so deep she physically flinched. Clarke looked down and took a deep breath. She felt her wolf begin to stir within her--angry at the thought. She had just told him she loved him. Loved. How dare he say that to her. 

“How could you think I--” Again she was cut off with a growl. One of Bellamy’s hands wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her eyes up to meet his.

“You almost left yesterday,” Bellamy’s voice was so low she could barely hear it. His eyes said the rest. _You almost left. Then I woke up and you were gone. I thought it was all fake. I thought you left _ **me.**__

Clarke’s anger instantly melted and was replaced with guilt. He was scared. She hadn’t thought about how it would seem to him—her not being there when he woke up. It had been so long, so fucking long since she’d had someone. She forgot that they needed more. 

“Bellamy,” she said, her voice soft. “I’m sorry--I’m not used to this. Having someone. I was careless, and I am sorry. I’m not leaving you. I promise.” Bellamy’s grip on Clarke’s neck tightened, but his eyes started to regain their humanity. 

“Never,” he bit out. 

“Never,” Clarke agreed. It was final. He was final. There must have been a quality in her voice that made Bellamy believe it because his hand dropped and his eyes widened. 

Clarke reached up and ran her fingers across his chest. She needed to show him, to prove it to him. She was never leaving. He swallowed, almost like he was afraid, but didn’t remove her hands. She slowly dragged her hands down to the waistband of his sweats. She could feel his heart pumping under his skin as she reached under and wrapped her hand around his length. She stroked him, up and down, slowly. Her eyes never leaving his. When she sank to her knees, Bellamy let out an audible groan. 

It only took her a few seconds to pull down his sweats and have her lips wrapped around him. She’d never gotten on her knees for another wolf before. It was too submissive, but right now Bellamy needed this. He needed to see how much she was willing to give him: Everything. 

Clarke ran her tongue alongside the bottom of his cock from base to tip before pulling him into her mouth. He was too big, but she didn’t care. She hummed, taking him as far back into her as she could. His hands fell into her hair, not urging her faster or harder, but anchoring himself to her. She repeated the action, lathering his length with kisses in between. She swirled her tongue around the tip and then took him deeper and deeper every time. 

The noises he was making were driving her crazy. She’d never gotten off just by pleasing someone else, but having Bellamy in her mouth was almost enough to send her over the edge. Her hand slid between her legs as she continued taking Bellamy in and out of her mouth.

“Holy fuck, are you touching yourself?” She looked up to see Bellamy’s eyes wild again, but this time in a different way. He was fucking beautiful.

Before she could register what was happening, Bellamy pulled her up and was kissing her, consuming her. 

Clarke felt her shorts being ripped down her legs, next her shirt was pulled haphazardly over her head, but Bellamy’s mouth was never off of hers for long. He kissed her as if it was the only thing keeping her alive. Clarke knew the feeling because she was pretty sure if he stopped touching her, the world would shatter apart. Clarke let herself be lifted up and set on the kitchen counter. Bellamy pulled away from her for one moment. His eyes were so intense that Clarke was sure she could feel them in her soul. 

“You’re never leaving me," he said as he positioned himself at her entrance. 

“Never,” Clarke agreed. He sunk into her then, groaning out her name like a prayer.

At that moment, Clarke didn’t care about the fact that they were in the kitchen or the fact that everything that had been said and done had probably been overheard by 20 other shifters. All she cared about was at that moment, was that she’d found her home. And her home was Bellamy. 

****

Bellamy followed Clarke inside the house. They’d run all morning as wolves, after their intense start of the day. He had work to do, but it could wait until tomorrow. Today was all about him and Clarke.

They entered the kitchen to see a glum-looking Murphy, scrubbing the kitchen island with a purpose. When he saw Bellamy and Clarke, he sent them a glare that would have made lesser men shit themselves. 

“Next time you two decide to use the kitchen as your own personal fuck-room, could you not do it on my day to clean?” He growled out. Bellamy burst into laughter as Clarke rolled her eyes and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. Murphy mumbled something and slumped against the wall. 

“You cleaned that wall yet?” Bellamy asked, a smile playing on his lips. Murphy’s eyes widened as he practically jumped away from the wall. This time it was Clarke’s turn to laugh as Murphy let out a string of curse words that would have made the devil pause. 

“We’ll try to contain it to the bedroom from now on, Murphy,” Clarke said between giggles. Bellamy walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he whispered into her ear. She sighed and relaxed against his chest. At that moment everything was perfect. Bellamy knew it. He knew that nothing else would ever come close to the way Clarke felt in his arms.

“God, you both make me sick,” Murphy said, trying to hide a small smile, as Bellamy pulled Clarke out of the kitchen toward her room. 

When they walk in, Clarke’s eyes widen at the cardboard boxes sitting on her bed. 

“Pack up your stuff,” Bellamy said, pushing Clarke toward her closet. 

“Am I moving,” Clarke asked, sending him a flirtatious smile. 

“We both are,” Bellamy said, opening up her nightstand drawer. And pulling out a few sketch pads and placing them in one of the boxes. He doesn’t open them-- she’ll show him when she is ready. “I thought-- well, I thought you might want more privacy, so I figured we could stay in one of the converted houses. Technically I have one, I just never use it.” 

Bellamy felt like a teenager again. Tripping over his words. He should have asked her, instead of telling Raven to get the Alpha’s house ready while they were out on their run. He didn't know if it was ready or not because he'd never used it before. He preferred to stay with his pack, but now all he wanted was to give Clarke a home they could share. It was too fast--too soon. Technically he and Clarke had only been together for a few days, but Bellamy didn't care.

He looked up, expecting her to scold him for trying to control her, again, but he instead he found her beaming. 

“I’d love that, Bell,” she said, her voice held something knew in it he’d never heard before. A primal type of gratefulness coated every word. God, he loved her.

The Alpha cabin was even nicer than the Big House. Which was saying something. Emori had redesigned it for Bellamy when he'd become Alpha, and she'd outdone herself. Bellamy almost felt guilty for never coming up here before. It was about a mile away from the Big House, and he'd always managed to avoid it. He'd have to make that up to her--maybe let her take him up in her death machine of a helicopter she piloted soon.

Bellamy sat on the plush couch and watched as Clarke surveyed the main room with wide eyes. 

"We can put a Christmas tree right there," Clarke said, pointing to the corner next to the fireplace. Bellamy felt a lump form in the back of his throat. Christmas was nearly six months away. Clarke really did plan on staying. The concept was new. He half expected her to bolt, no matter how many times she said she was here for good. But there she was, planning out Christmas decorations. Bellamy cleared his throat. 

"A tree would look great there." He hoped his voice didn't betray how vulnerable he felt. "Also, about bedroom there are two spare rooms. I figured we could turn one into an emergency healing room, and maybe the other could be an art studio?" A strangled laugh escaped Clarke's mouth at his words. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Clarke's emotion comforted Bellamy. She was just as affected by all of this as he was. He reached his hand out for her. 

"You, really, must love me," she said, crossing the room to sit on his lap. "You are giving me everything, I didn't even know I needed. I still can't believe you want to live with me. Be with me." Bellamy forgot at times, that Clarke had been so alone for so long. It broke his heart that the women in his arms didn't realize the privilege she allowed him by letting him hold her. His wolf urged him forward, to show her, worship her, and tell her that she would never be alone again.

But he didn't have the words to express the enormity of what he needed to say, so Bellamy kissed Clarke. It was a new kind of kiss. It was not full of raw need, and it was not delivered in a mad frenzy. It was a promise. A promise that this, the two of them, together, was what he wanted. And that it would always be what he wanted. Clarke would always be what he wanted. Clarke understood the way she always seemed to understand. Her lips sent him their own promises. They kissed like that for what felt like an eternity, vowing with every touch to stay with each other—for just as long. 

When Clarke finally pulled away from Bellamy her nose was pink and her eyes shown with something Bellamy wasn't used to: love. 

"I think I'd really like to see our bedroom," Clarke said. Bellamy smiled and stood up, keeping Clarke's legs wrapped around his waist. He walked them to their bedroom, laid Clarke down on their bed, and made love to Clarke until they were both too tired to do anything but fall asleep in each other's arms.

****  
The next time Bellamy woke up and scanned the room, he saw Clarke sitting by the window in their new bedroom sketching. Her hair was a halo of messy waves, and he could see the bite marks he left on her shoulder peeking out from the drooping collar of his t-shirt. 

Bellamy instantly wanted her. He wondered if this intense need would last. Never in his life had he experienced a continual need for another person's touch. But the way the evening light cascaded from the window onto her hair and skin, was more than he could bear. He needed her. 

"Hey, Princess," he said, propping himself up on the bed. 

"Hey, nerd," she whispered, her eyes bright. She closed her sketchbook and stretched on the window seat. Bellamy let his eyes drink in the sight. "I was about to wake you. We slept the day away, it is almost dinner time."

"I know something I'd much prefer to eat for dinner," he said with a wink, which just made Clarke laugh. Bellamy got up fully intending on kissing her senseless, just as Clarke’s phone went off. As soon as she looked at the screen, a frown clouded the happiness that had previously rested on her face. 

“Mom?” Clarke said into the phone. Bellamy waited, watching Clarke as she listened intently to whatever her mother was saying. 

“I already told you I just-- I just can’t come Mom. Not there.” Bellamy sighed. This must be about Marcus and Abby’s imprinting ceremony next week. He was going, but Clarke had declined her invitation. She wouldn't go back to the Arkadia pack, even to visit. Not after what they did to her father. Instead, she Abby and Marcus would have a small dinner two weeks from now at some steak joint. Clarke had asked Bellamy to come with her, last night between a round of sex and sleep. He’d agreed happily. 

Suddenly, Clarke’s eyes widened, and a low growl escaped her lips. Bellamy felt his wolf become alert. Something was wrong.

“Alright, we’ll be there.” With that, Clarke ended the call. 

“One of Cage’s men tried to kidnap my mother. He failed. And they are holding him for us at Arkadia,” Clarke said, her voice taking on a robotic turn. “The ceremony is the perfect opportunity to go without drawing suspicion.” 

“Clarke, you don’t have to go,” Bellamy said, pulling her to him. Clarke hated the Arkadia Pack. He would never make her go there. He could go and get the information himself. She didn't need to subject herself to people that didn't deserve to be in her presence. 

“I want to,” Clarke said firmly, but Bellamy felt her shake against him. After a moment she looked up at him. “This pack is mine now too. I will do anything for it. For you. I can do this.” Pride bloomed in his chest. Clarke was so strong. And she was his. 

Bellamy felt something else, besides pride, shift inside of him. Something he didn't understand. It started last night, and he’d felt it again this morning when Clarke told him that she’d never leave him. But whatever this feeling was, he knew it was right, but it also terrified him. 

“We go together,” he said, kissing the crown of her hair. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her. 

“Always,” Clarke whispered, kissing his chest through his shirt. Always. He would protect her forever. He would be whatever she needed him to be. Bellamy's wolf howled in agreement. They were meant for Clarke, and they would always be there for her. 

Bellamy’s eyes flew open. He tried to keep his heart rate down. He understood. He understood now. 

Clarke Griffin was his True Mate.

**Author's Note:**

> Vocab:
> 
> Chosen: A shifter that you chose to imprint with, despite not being true mates.  
> Imprinting: The process of mating with someone that is not your true mate. The bond is nearly as strong but can be broken if one of the partners meets their true mate.  
> True Mates: Soul Mates. Rare. If your true mate dies after you mate the damage to your soul can kill you.  
> Dominant wolf: A fighter. Their wolf is physically very strong. Usually has issues with authority.  
> Submissive wolf: A physically weaker wolf, who is usually more mentally dominant. Known as the glue to the pack because they calm the dominant wolves.  
> Alpha: Man/Woman in charge of the pack. Usually the strongest wolf in the pack  
> Beta: Alpha's right-hand man/woman  
> Enforcers: Guards who protect the pact


End file.
